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 not funded.

A short public hearing on the substantial amendment was opened and closed at the meeting. One speaker, Dave Addis of Whittington Avenue, criticized how the city spends money during his three‑minute public comment period, calling the program "another lost cause" and urging audits of municipal departments. No other members of the public spoke on the CDBG proposal before the council closed the hearing and took its vote.

City Manager John delivered the manager's report earlier in the meeting and noted administrative items that frame the council's budget and program context: the assessor's office mailed information about the elderly/disabled property tax relief program; the assessor received a one‑month extension to file the 2024 grand list, which is expected by Feb. 28; and the Community Development Office received 14 applications for the 2025–26 CDBG round with an anticipated HUD allocation of $849,890. According to the report, the 14 submissions included 11 public‑service applications totaling $330,003 and non‑public‑service applications totaling $981,231 for a combined $1,311,231 in requests.

Council members also handled several other routine matters in a single meeting, rolling through motions to receive communications and authorize administrative actions without extended debate.

Votes at a glance

- Petition/communication: Memo from the Norwich Ice Rink Authority — Received (motion by Alderman Nash; second by Alderman Gold). Vote: 6-0. - Resolution 1: Community Development Block Grant substantial amendment allocation — Adopted (motion to bring to floor by Alderman Singh; second by Alderman Gould). Vote: 6-0. Allocations: Madonna Place $25,000; TVCCA homelessness prevention $24,222; Saint Vincent de Paul Place $62,000; Thames River Community Service $23,778. - Resolution (appoint two council members to Recreation Advisory Committee and Harbor Management Commission) — Adopted (mover/second noted on the record). Vote: 6-0. - Resolution (authorize City Manager to accept grant of easement at 400 New London Turnpike and 2 Lampert/Lathrop Avenue for the Surface Transportation Block Grant program) — Adopted. Vote: 6-0. - Resolution (authorize City Manager to enter lease with Norwich Rose Garden Ice Associates LLC) — Adopted. Vote: 6-0. - Resolution (express council support for the St. Patrick's Day Parade) — Adopted. Vote: 6-0. - Ordinance (introduction and motion to waive full text and schedule public hearing for a lead/copper service line replacement program appropriation increase) — Motion to waive and schedule a public hearing for a second reading in March was made and seconded; the chair announced the public hearing is scheduled (vote recorded in the meeting as 3 to 3 while the chair stated the hearing was scheduled).

What it means

The council's action redirects a modest pool of recaptured CDBG funds to local nonprofits that assist with housing stability, emergency services and family supports. The awarded amounts are a fraction of the total CDBG requests the Community Development Office reported; staff said proposals submitted for the upcoming grant round exceeded HUD's anticipated allocation. The council's approval clears the recommended awards and directs city staff to move forward with the CDBG administrative steps required to obligate the funds.

The meeting also included the city manager's administrative report, a change in the ice‑rink lease framework reported by the ice‑rink authority chair, and several housekeeping votes. The council scheduled a public hearing and second reading for a proposed ordinance that would increase borrowing authorization and appropriations to plan a lead/copper service‑line replacement program; the council announced that hearing will be set for the March meeting.

Council and staff who spoke on the record at the meeting included Mayor Pete Nystrom; President Pro Tem Joseph A. DeLucia; Aldermen Singh, Gould, Nash, Betancourt, Bettencourt and Gold; City Manager John; and the Economic and Community Development director (name not specified in the transcript).