Pearland holds second public hearing on HUD CDBG annual action plan; staff proposes $537,831 allocation with social‑services and Forgotten Angels funding

Pearland held a second public hearing Aug. 11 on the city’s 19th Annual Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), with staff presenting an estimated HUD allocation of $537,831 for program year 2025 (City fiscal year 2026) and outlining proposed expenditures and the public‑comment schedule.

A city staff member explained that the CDBG program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and must meet HUD’s national objectives and regulations. For Pearland, staff noted the city’s entitlement status and the program’s income‑eligibility rules: beneficiaries must generally be households at or below 80% of the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) median income; Pearland uses an exception threshold of 42.5% low‑to‑moderate‑income (LMI) for qualifying block groups.

Staff outlined proposed allocations within the $537,831 estimate: social services at $80,674.65 (the maximum allowable under program rules); an allocation of $349,590.15 proposed for Forgotten Angels to fund a multipurpose kitchen and facility programming; a placeholder of $0 for drainage improvements (kept to allow reallocation in case of overages on other projects); and $75,566.20 for administrative costs, including administration of prior program‑year funds such as the home‑rehab program. The presenter told council that homelessness concerns raised at the prior public hearing would be addressed within the social‑services allocation, including funding to the Pearland Neighborhood Center and potentially other eligible nonprofits.

Key dates were listed: a first public hearing occurred June 9; a 30‑day public comment period ran June 10–July 10; an additional comment period ran July 30–Aug. 13; and the action plan must be submitted to HUD by Aug. 16 (staff indicated they intended to submit earlier). Staff also invited members of the public to testify; no members of the public spoke during the Aug. 11 hearing.

Council members asked clarifying questions during the hearing. Council Member Cade asked whether the city has used CDBG funds to remove slum and blight; staff answered that, to the speaker's knowledge, removals have been rare and mostly addressed via FEMA buyouts in flood‑prone areas. Staff confirmed an example CDBG household income threshold cited for eligibility: a family of four with income under $92,900 would meet an 80% MSA limit in the example shown.

The hearing record shows staff requested council adoption of the action plan that evening and listed the program funding breakdown, but the transcript contains the presentation and questions only; a final vote adopting the action plan is not recorded in the public portions of the transcript provided.

Ending: Staff said they would submit the action plan to HUD by the Aug. 16 deadline and return to council if any changes were needed; council members encouraged continued outreach to eligible social‑service providers as allocations are finalized.