Norwich council allocates $135,000 in recaptured CDBG funds, approves routine resolutions

The Norwich City Council on Feb. 18 adopted a resolution to allocate $135,000 in recaptured federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to four local programs, and approved a batch of routine motions including a lease with the Norwich Rose Garden Ice Associates and committee appointments.

The allocations approved were $25,000 for Madonna Place (family support), $24,222 for Thames Valley Council for Community Action (TVCCA) homelessness prevention, $62,000 for Saint Vincent de Paul Place, and $23,778 for Thames River Community Service. Council members voted 6-0 to adopt the CDBG reallocation recommended by the Community Development Advisory Committee.

The CDBG funds are federal dollars subject to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rules. The council heard brief discussion before the vote about why one applicant, Safe Futures, was not funded. "They didn't — their application was short of Davis‑Bacon wage rates from the federal government, as well as they got a bid from somebody and wanted to give it to them. And that's not the way federal procurement works," said the Economic and Community Development director, explaining why Safe Futures' ventilation project was not approved. The director's comments also noted procurement and prevailing‑wage documentation deficiencies as the reasons that application was…