Gulfport council approves 2025 HUD action plan after heated debate, preserves years of unspent federal funds

The Gulfport City Council voted 4-3 to approve the city’s 2025 Annual Action Plan for HUD-funded CDBG and HOME programs, narrowly preserving more than $3.3 million in older, unspent federal allocations while creating funding “buckets” for housing repair, public facilities and other uses.

The vote followed more than an hour of council questioning and a string of public commenters who urged the council to name specific, address-level projects and prioritize low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. “There’s no clear commitment to addressing the urgent needs the community raised,” said Sonya Williams Barnes, a longtime Gulfport resident and organizer, during public comment.

Nut graf: The administration and the city’s HUD program staff argued the buckets approach was required by HUD and by environmental- and eligibility-review rules; naming specific projects now could force the city to withdraw funds if a project later proves ineligible. City staff said the approved plan preserves the city’s entitlement status and allows staff to pursue projects and procure partners that meet HUD rules. “What HUD considers a project is not typically what…