The Greene County Board of Commissioners authorized submission of the county's 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation application on May 29, 2025, allocating a maximum $274,000 among administration, fair housing and two township road projects.

Sarah Maltz, Department of Development, told commissioners the county could apply for up to $274,000 and outlined a proposal that would set aside $13,700 for fair housing, $40,300 for general administration and $110,000 each for road work in Bath Township and Jefferson Township. Maltz said HUD and state eligibility rules limit administrative spending to 20 percent and allow at most two grant projects under the county's current plan.

At the public hearing, Emily Bridal, executive director of Home Inc. in Yellow Springs, urged the commission to consider a pilot down-payment assistance program for first-time, low- and moderate-income homebuyers. Bridal said the proposed pilot would offer up to $10,000 or 5 percent of purchase price paired with HUD-approved homebuyer education and coaching through Home Inc., and that Miami Valley CAP no longer has down-payment funds available for Greene County residents.

Commissioners discussed criteria used to select projects, including the number of people served and return on investment to the county and townships. Commissioners also noted the difficulty of spreading limited funds among deserving applicants and the importance of entities' ability to find alternative funding sources.

Commissioner Mays moved to authorize submission of the PY25 CDBG allocation application as presented, with Bath Township and Jefferson Township each receiving $110,000, $13,700 for fair housing and $40,300 for general administration; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call.

The approved submission now goes to the State of Ohio for review; if funded, the county expects to receive notification in December and funds in January 2026, after which selected projects would move to implementation.