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Panel raises overlap concerns for Presente's tenant-assistance proposal
Summary
Reviewers questioned whether Presente duplicates existing tenant legal services and noted staff worked with the applicant to adjust indirect cost rates and clarify budget items; a small score deduction was applied for inconsistent budget references.
Presente, a new applicant seeking CDBG funding, appeared before the panel on Feb. 24. Staff said they worked with Presente to amend the indirect cost rate and clarify budget items to meet federal requirements and noted an inconsistent program budget reference that resulted in a partial point deduction.
Panel member Natalie said she had trouble tracking the program's focus because it appeared to include multiple distinct elements and asked for clearer scope in future applications. Wendy raised overlap concerns with existing legal-service providers for low-income tenants, citing Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, Pine Tree Legal and court-appointed mentoring resources as already-available avenues for eviction assistance.
Rowan told the panel staff would supply correspondence and a revised budget in the documents tab. Presente can still access the new-applicant set-aside if it scores above the threshold in this cycle, staff said; otherwise it will compete in the regular pool next year.
The panel did not take any formal action at the meeting; staff will include scoring and narrative comments in the materials forwarded to the city manager and city council for final funding decisions.
