Committee reviews HUD Community Development funding recommendations; public comment set for March

Grants administration staff and councilors discussed recommended awards and the process for the City of Tulsa’s HUD Community Development programs for program year 2026 during a Public Works Committee meeting.

Rhys Williams of grants administration summarized the process that produced the recommendations: an updated five-year consolidated plan, community meetings and an online survey, RFP workshops, and an application and review process. “This year, we are starting a new 5 year consolidated plan,” Williams said. Williams reported that 43 applications from outside agencies were submitted by the 11/22/2024 deadline, along with four internal applications from three city departments.

Williams said grant reviewers signed up in large numbers, with 98 people registering, about 30 attending training, and 82 conducting reviews. “We then scored… and those scores and reviews were passed on to the committee,” Williams said. As a result, the committee recommended funding for roughly 30 external applicants; some agencies applied in multiple categories and some internal awards were recommended as well.

Williams told councilors the draft consolidated plan and the first-year annual action plan will be available for public comment from March 3 through April 2, and that a public hearing is scheduled for March 13. He said the plan must be submitted to HUD by May 15, but that the submission is dependent on federal allocations. “At the moment, we don't know what those are,” Williams said.

Councilors asked several procedural questions. Committee members asked how the scoring and cutoff rules were applied; Williams said public service awards are subject to a 50% cap of CDBG funds and that, in recent years, the committee chose not to fund public-service applications scoring under 20 points. He also explained that reviewers did not all score every application, producing some variance in averages, and that committee judgment and applicants’ capacity and reach were considered when allocating limited funds.

Councilors raised concerns about federal uncertainty. Williams cited reports that HUD’s Community Planning and Development office (CPD) had staffing reductions under consideration and acknowledged that federal appropriations could affect local allocations. He also agreed to provide follow-up detail on how many dollars shifted to projects that received bonus points tied to local strategic priorities and on outcomes tied to those alignments.

Williams said next steps include publishing the draft plan for public comment March 3–April 2, holding a March 13 public hearing, and returning to the council for final action after the comment period and when federal allocations are known. No final award or council vote occurred at the committee meeting.