The Lewiston City Council on Oct. 13 approved the 2024 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant program, concluding a public hearing that included brief testimony from a grant recipient.

The CAPER, presented by Dawn Ortiz, community development office supervisor, documents how the city spent program-year funds (Aug. 1–July 31) and will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "This is pretty much a report that recaps the money spent for the 2024 program year," Ortiz said during her presentation.

Ortiz told the council that the program year combined carryover funds, the 2024 award and program income for a total of $455,035. Projects cited in the CAPER include the 2023–24 home repair program (three homes still under repair), administration and planning, 2022 and 2024 microenterprise programs, support to the Lewiston School District and Lewis Clark Adult Resource Center, and two large capital projects delayed to 2025 because contractors were unavailable. She also said required environmental reviews were completed for the large projects.

During public testimony, Michelle King, representing the LC Valley Youth Resource Center, thanked the council and said the organization has broken ground on a project funded in part with CDBG dollars.

Council members moved to approve the CAPER; the motion carried by voice vote with Council President Klieberg, Councilor Wright, Councilor Forsman and Councilor Schroeder each responding "Aye." The council did not record any no votes or abstentions on the motion.

Why it matters: The CAPER is the formal federal reporting document showing how Lewiston used CDBG funds for housing, public services and economic development. The funding supports local home repairs, microenterprise assistance and social-service providers that the CAPER identifies as part of the city's 2024 outcomes.

What the CAPER shows: Ortiz summarized the program's performance goals and outcomes: assistance to six households to improve housing access and quality; services addressing people at risk of homelessness (the Lewiston School District and LC Valley Cares were named for that work); retention support for two small businesses through the microenterprise program; and lead-based paint assessments performed on eligible repair projects as a planning/administration expense.

A councilor asked whether potential federal funding cuts would affect the program. Ortiz said she had not received any definitive notice and described the situation as "a hurry up and wait" for federal decisions. Councilors also asked the location of the Mountain View Mobile Home Park (Ortiz said it is on the 600 block of Burrell, where infrastructure work including water and electrical lines and new fencing is under way).

Next steps: Ortiz said the city will submit the CAPER to HUD as the required closeout report for the program year. The council did not attach additional conditions to the approval.

Sources: Presentation by Dawn Ortiz; public testimony from Michelle King; council action recorded Oct. 13, 2025.