ELKO COUNTY, Nev. — County staff held an informational meeting June 29 to explain how the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) process will work for fiscal year 2026, including eligibility rules, low-to-moderate-income thresholds, application timelines and examples of potential projects.

A county staff member leading the session said, “CDBG is the community community development block grant,” and explained the state-administered process: federal funds flow from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), which awards grants to local governments or subrecipients.

The meeting focused on why projects are eligible and how the county can apply. “For a project, a CDBG CDBG project to be fundable, it must pass 2 tests,” the presenter said, describing the two requirements: (1) the activity must meet one of CDBG’s national objectives, and (2) the activity must be an eligible activity under program rules. The presenter summarized the three national objectives as: benefit 51% or more low-to-moderate-income (LMI) persons, prevent or eliminate slums and blight, or address an urgent community development need that requires prior CDBG approval.

As an example of the LMI threshold, the presenter showed HUD census-mapped data and said the Tuscarora area currently registers about 48.90% LMI, below the 51% threshold needed for many CDBG projects. The presenter said local projects may still qualify if they fall within an LMI census tract or if the county conducts a household survey to document LMI status; the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) and the Nevada Rural Water Association were cited as organizations that have assisted with such surveys.

Staff reviewed a nonexclusive list of eligible CDBG activities that the presenter said GOED allows, including acquisition of property for public purposes; construction or reconstruction of streets, water and sewer facilities; neighborhood centers and recreation facilities; public works projects; clearance, rehabilitation, demolition and planning; capacity-building activities; assistance to nonprofits for community or economic activities; and economic development support including microenterprise assistance.

The presenter explained how awards are administered: GOED is the state recipient; an awarded city or county becomes a subrecipient and must execute a grant agreement with GOED and, where applicable, subrecipient agreements with nonprofit or for‑profit entities the local government sponsors. The presenter noted housing authority projects are generally ineligible for typical CDBG funding except for limited activities such as demolition.

Staff emphasized procedural requirements: all applicants must register in SAM.gov; environmental review is required and must be submitted with the application; and applications must include a clear budget and scope of work. The presenter also described grant performance windows: planning grants expire June 30, 2027, and construction grants expire June 30, 2028, and reminded the group that the program year for awards beginning in this cycle starts July 1, 2026.

The meeting outlined the local calendar and next steps if the county decides to apply: the first public meeting was the June 29 session; a second public meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 2; job matrices for proposed projects are due Sept. 30; projects must be submitted for eligibility by Oct. 17; a third public meeting (required) must occur after Oct. 20 (staff noted Oct. 24 as a likely date); the board of commissioners must meet to approve applications and rank projects; project development runs roughly from Oct. 24 through Feb. 19; and applicants present to the statewide CDBG advisory committee in March or April, after which GOED and the governor make the final allocation decisions. If awarded, staff and project managers must attend a CDBG grant administration workshop in May or June.

Staff reviewed recent and potential county projects that have used or might seek CDBG support, including past work: Tuscarora water storage tank replacement (engineering phase), Montello exploratory wells and Tuscarora water system planning (PERs), and earlier projects such as a 2010 wastewater line extension and a 2009 Mountain City wastewater engineering study. Potential future projects listed by staff included the Montello sewer pond relining, Tuscarora new welded water storage tank construction and new transmission and distribution mains, and a Mountain City sewer pipeline upgrade.

No formal action or vote was taken at the meeting. Staff invited additional project suggestions from attendees and said it would circulate any external funding notices it received to county leadership for consideration.

For contacts, the presenter directed attendees to the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development website and said GOED program administrator Jessica Sanders and program specialist Sarah Clark are the state contacts for the CDBG program; the presenter also offered their own county contact information for follow-up.