Hocking County approves CDBG application documents and joins hospital consortium to boost Medicaid reimbursements

Hocking County commissioners on June 5 approved paperwork to apply for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for neighborhood and critical-infrastructure projects in the county and voted to join a multi-county hospital consortium intended to increase Medicaid reimbursement dollars for the county hospital.

County staff read a public-hearing notice that said in part, “Hocking County intends to apply to the Ohio Department of Development for funding under community development block grant, CDBG, small cities program,” and outlined proposed projects and budget estimates for the City of Logan and other villages. The board then approved and signed three application-related documents required by the state: the residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan, an authorizing resolution on county letterhead, and the environmental review certificate.

The CDBG materials presented to the board listed a mix of proposed projects and budget figures. Items identified for possible inclusion in the county application included: City of Logan Neighborhood Revitalization Grant (NRG) program activity with an estimated total project cost of $787,600 (NRG construction $700,000; administration $50,000; local allocation/match $37,600); a Critical Infrastructure Grant proposal for an unnamed village with estimated project cost $582,405 (construction $470,000; administration $30,000; allocation/match $82,400); and a note that the county is eligible to apply…