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Berwyn Council adopts 2025 CDBG annual action plan and 2025–29 consolidated plan amid questions on program limits and outreach
Summary
The City Council adopted a resolution approving the 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan and the five‑year consolidated plan for 2025–2029. Council discussion before the vote covered low‑ and moderate‑income mapping, single‑family rehab eligibility, focus‑group outreach and limits created by HUD paperwork requirements.
The City of Berwyn on Monday adopted a resolution approving the 2025 Community Development Block Grant annual action plan and the five‑year consolidated plan for 2025–2029, following staff remarks and a questions‑and‑answers period about program eligibility and outreach.
Miss Powers, a staff member working on the city’s CDBG program, said the maps of low‑ and moderate‑income areas are based on 2020 American Community Survey data and that the city is “taking advantage of that and doing a lot of progress in those areas.”
Why it matters: The CDBG plan determines how federal community development funds are allocated locally to housing repair, public services and neighborhood investments. Council adoption puts the city’s funding priorities and project list for program year 2025 into effect and frames spending expectations through 2029.
Council members questioned program limits and household eligibility. Miss Powers said the single‑family rehabilitation program currently has six active projects. “Right. So, actually, recently, right now, I have 6 projects for the single family rehab program,” she said.
On income limits, Miss Powers said the program’s qualifying thresholds have risen but remain difficult for some households to meet. “So, like, right now for 1 person, the income limit is, like, 67,000,” she said. Council members and staff noted that household eligibility counts adults living in a house even if they do not contribute financially, which can push a household above income limits.
Council members also asked whether CDBG funds could be used for warming and cooling centers or to pay staff to operate such facilities. Miss Powers said program rules and documentation requirements under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) limit some uses and require detailed paperwork; she said agencies often decline to participate because they do not want to complete HUD’s forms. “A lot of the agencies that could provide services in those categories don't wanna fill out the paperwork. And with HUD, everything's gotta be dotted and crossed, t's crossed,” she said.
On outreach and input, Miss Powers told the council that the city conducted focus groups with stakeholders but that “No residents” attended the sessions. She said the city advertises on the municipal website and through schools and the library but that social media promotion is constrained by city guidelines.
Council members asked about federal CDBG funding levels after reports that the program had been at risk in Congressional budget negotiations. Miss Powers said they were uncertain at first but later learned the city received somewhat more funding this year than expected.
Formal action: A motion to adopt the resolution authorizing the 2025 CDBG annual action plan and the consolidated plan for 2025–2029 was called and carried on the roll; the motion was approved by the council (aye votes recorded on the roll call). The adoption authorizes the corporate authorities to affix signatures and place the resolution on its way to passage.
The discussion preceding the vote clarified that remaining CDBG funds must remain targeted to low‑ and moderate‑income areas and that agencies must document the portion of their clientele that are Berwyn residents before receiving funds. Miss Powers said the city builds a five‑year plan by estimating that allocations will remain roughly the same as the 2025 allocation.
The council did not amend the plan during Monday’s meeting. Staff will proceed with the adopted action plan and the five‑year consolidated plan and continue outreach and agency coordination under HUD requirements.
Less critical detail: Council members suggested expanding outreach methods for future annual action plans, including exploring social media subject to city guidelines. Staff said they would share additional focus‑group themes and continue to emphasize the need for agencies to provide residency breakdowns when applying for program funding.
