City of Perry pursues CDBG disaster-recovery funding; plans income survey to support fire station request

City staff briefed the City of Perry City Council on March 11 about a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster-recovery application the city plans to submit and related preparatory steps that could support a fire station project.

A staff member said the program currently under call is substantial—“around $35,000,000” regionally—and the city plans to work with a consultant who previously helped secure downtown street-repaving funding. To meet federal CDBG targeting and documentation requirements, staff said they will perform a random, door-to-door income survey of roughly 100 households drawn from city water-account records; the survey is intended to document household incomes to support project eligibility and match requirements.

Staff said the city will also prepare a request for proposals to hire a grant-manager consultant and work with local partners who previously assisted on downtown projects. Council discussion noted the grant program’s constraint that large awards or multiple concurrent projects can complicate scheduling; staff said they expect the application will need precise project lists and that the county’s roll-up of eligible counties could favor the city as one of the targeted jurisdictions.

Council members expressed particular interest in using grant funds for wastewater and stormwater repairs identified as immediate needs, and staff said work on engineering RFQs and other readiness steps is underway. The council did not take a final action on a specific project at this meeting but authorized staff to proceed with survey planning and grant-application preparation.