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Public advocate urges county to consolidate CDBG participation, shift funds to homelessness and senior services
Summary
Arnie C. Dinoff, County Public Advocate, urged St. Charles County officials to expand countywide participation in HUD’s consolidated plan, asked that O'Fallon and other cities join to reduce administrative overhead, and pressed for more county funding for homelessness prevention, transportation and senior services during the CDBG public hearing.
Arnie C. Dinoff, a county public advocate who spoke during the public hearing on the county’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, told the County Council on June 9 that several municipalities were not participating in the county’s consolidated plan and urged outreach to join and reduce administrative overhead.
Dinoff said New Melle, West Alton and Portage Des Sioux had not passed required local ordinances to participate in the consolidated CDBG program and suggested the county contact the City of O’Fallon to encourage consolidation so more funds would be available for direct services. He described potential savings from consolidation as a way to reduce administrative fees—an estimated 20 percent—and redirect money to resident services.
Dinoff also discussed an amendment to the county’s CARES-Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) action plan that reallocates roughly $208,000 in unspent CARES-era CDBG funds. He cited line-item amounts: $50,000 from small-business assistance, $8,200 leftover for rent assistance, $93,400 originally earmarked for mental-health assistance through Compass Health, and $105,000 saved in administrative costs. He expressed concern that Compass Health did not expend the reported $93,400 and urged the council to examine whether shifting those funds toward homeless services and outreach would better address urgent needs on the streets.
Dinoff recommended expanding county support for homelessness prevention and countywide transportation programs—particularly for older residents who have given up driving—and said senior services such as Meals on Wheels deserve broader county funding in addition to federal resources. He argued that preventing homelessness and providing transportation and home-maintenance supports can be less costly than responding to chronic homelessness and emergency interventions.
Assistant Director of Administration Ludwig was asked during the hearing whether the county had contacted O’Fallon about joining the consolidated plan; Dinoff asked for a response but the transcript records that Ludwig was not present for every portion of the hearing and did not provide a full answer in the public remarks recorded.
Dinoff closed by urging county leaders to scrutinize how CARES-era and CDBG dollars are spent and to prioritize services that address homelessness, mental-health crises and senior transportation needs.
