County presents 2025 CDBG annual action plan; HUD allocation $1.15 million with housing set-aside

Hammond County staff presented the final draft of the 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan during a public hearing July 28. Michelle West Moneer, the county presenter, told commissioners the program year runs Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocation for the county is $1,146,153. She outlined proposed set-asides: $541,922 for affordable housing initiatives and parcel acquisition, $75,000 for a minor home-repair program (focused on emergency and accessibility modifications), $300,000 for municipal infrastructure projects in low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods, and $229,231 for planning, administration and fair-housing activities. West Moneer said the county will continue to support a planned community land trust and is designing an owner-occupied home-repair program emphasizing emergency repairs and accessibility modifications to help seniors age in place. She reviewed unspent balances from prior program years and noted a 30-day public comment period that will end this week. Following the presentation, the board opened the public hearing, heard no speakers and closed the hearing. West Moneer said she will return at the next board meeting with the final draft for formal approval and that the county’s submission to HUD is due Aug. 16. No formal vote on the plan was recorded at this meeting; commissioners scheduled follow-up action after the public comment period.