Commissioners review potential CDBG projects and ask staff to finalize allocations after federal notice

Warren County staff on March 8 reviewed proposed Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) applicants and asked commissioners for tentative guidance so environmental reviews can begin once the county's final allocation is announced.

Suzanne, a county CDBG administrator, listed public‑service applicants including Family Promise of Warren County, Safe on Main, Upwards Care, and the Warren County Child Advocacy Center. Construction applicants included playground and street projects from the Village of Butlerville, City of Franklin, Franklin Township, Village of Harveysburg, Village of Pleasant Plain, South Lebanon, Harveysburg Historical Society and the Village of Morrow. The total request across applicants was presented as approximately $1,400,000.

Suzanne said the county has to complete environmental reviews before construction can start and that the annual allocation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture/HUD had not been released to the county at the time of the meeting. "If we don't have an idea of what we're doing, we can't do the environmental reviews and it really puts our office in a tricky situation," she said.

Commissioners discussed spending caps for public‑service projects (a statutory limit was noted) and the likelihood that the county will prioritize projects with matching funds because matching increases the odds of project completion. Commissioners asked staff to return with final allocation figures and a recommended distribution once the county's allocation is announced; one commissioner requested another week to review materials before the board commits to allocations.

No formal allocations or votes were taken at the March 8 meeting; staff will proceed with preparatory work and return with a proposed funding plan after the county's federal allocation is released.