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Lewiston council approves amended 2024 CDBG plan and adopts 2025 draft action plan
Summary
Councilors on July 14 approved an amended 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan and approved the draft 2025 action plan after a staff presentation and brief Q&A. The plans allocate HUD CDBG funds for projects the grants committee recommended; staff described outreach steps and program administration costs.
The Lewiston City Council on July 14 approved an amended 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan and then approved the draft 2025 CDBG action plan following a staff presentation and a public-hearing process.
Grant manager Melinda Rose presented both items, noting the 2024 amendment and the 2025 draft previously were posted for public comment and reviewed by a funding committee earlier in the summer. Rose said the city ran a 30-day comment period on the amended 2024 plan and described outreach for the CDBG program as including the city website, radio spots and other standard channels.
Why it matters: CDBG funds come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are typically used for projects serving low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents. The council’s approvals set which local projects will receive HUD-funded support in the current program year and formalize administrative spending the city will use to run the program.
Key program details and council questions: Rose explained LMI stands for low- to moderate-income. Councilors asked about administrative costs, and Rose said the city had allocated $30,000 for administration and planning in the draft plan; she noted HUD allows up to 15 percent of grant funds to be used for administration and that the $30,000 is in line with prior years’ practice. Councilor Speckelmeyer asked about a mobile-home/RV-park project previously funded: staff said the owner is the same (Sky View is the owner; Mountain View is the RV park), and described that 2024 funding paid for paving work (staff cited a $100,000 paving allocation in discussion) while proposed 2025 funding would be used for electrical improvements.
Rose said some prior project costs were high because environmental review for the site required an environmental assessment, which increased project expenses. She said CDBG-funded projects are selected through application, review and scoring processes the city follows each year.
Public hearing and votes: the council opened and closed the public hearings on the amended 2024 and the draft 2025 plans; no members of the public spoke during the hearings on July 14. Councilor Schroeder moved to approve the amended 2024 action plan; Councilor Forsman seconded and the motion carried by voice vote. Later, Councilor Forsman moved to approve the 2025 action plan; Councilor Schroeder seconded and that motion also carried by voice vote.
Ending: With council approval, staff will finalize the amended 2024 plan and submit the adopted 2025 action plan to HUD for the program year beginning in early August, and will proceed with the projects and administrative tasks identified in the plans.
