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Council staff outline CDBG and HOME draft allocations; Sunnyside Park and housing projects among top recommendations
Summary
City staff and the Citizens Advisory Committee recommended a slate of CDBG allocations, including Sunnyside Park renovations and funding for a street-paving project; the Lewiston-Auburn HOME consortium showed funds available for rental housing and security-deposit assistance.
Lewiston staff and the Citizens Advisory Committee presented draft recommendations for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds at the council workshop, citing limited federal estimates and a need to prioritize high-impact projects.
Catherine Ruth, community development manager, said the city budgeted the same approximate CDBG allocation as FY25 ($788,093) because HUD had not yet announced FY26 amounts; the advisory process used that working number to craft recommendations. The CAC recommended funding five public-service allocations (examples included Trinity Jubilee Day Shelter and food pantry assistance) and prioritized two infrastructure/public-facility projects: Sunnyside Park renovations ($100,000 recommended) and a partial paving project on Important House Street (staff-recommended allocation about $144,505 after caps and other constraints were applied).
Ruth said program caps (for public services and administrative fees) narrowed the pool of fundable requests; the committee also recommended targeted allocations for enhanced code enforcement ($103,595) and rehabilitation-grant/loan administration ($120,700) to maintain the city's commercial and residential loan and grant programs. The CDBG committee also recommended a modest loan capitalization and project-delivery budget to support intake and environmental review work for housing projects.
On HOME-funded housing, staff said the Lewiston-Auburn consortium—s FY25 allocation was $428,332 and that carryover funds would bring the consortium-level total available to roughly $1.16 million for housing projects during the upcoming cycle. Staff flagged the DeWitt development (covered elsewhere on the workshop agenda) and noted HOME allocations can be used for rental-project capital and security-deposit assistance for homeless or near-homeless households.
Ruth reminded the council that HUD normally posts final grant amounts between mid-April and mid-May and that the CAC asked staff to set a proportionate adjustment process should the federal award change by less than 25%; larger swings would prompt a CAC reconvening and further council review. Councilors requested the CAC and staff present final documents at the May public hearings.
What follows: staff will post the draft CDBG/HOME documents for the required 30-day public comment period, then return to council with final recommendations after HUD announces the FY26 allocation.
