The Northampton County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) nominations and approved a resolution authorizing the county to submit its application for the 2025 CDBG project.

The hearing drew questions from commissioners and residents about how individual house addresses were selected for consideration for replacement or rehabilitation. Commissioners and staff described a housing selection committee made up of representatives from participating towns that screens eligible properties and forwards lists to the county for inclusion in a countywide application.

Mr. Bennett, a county presenter, told the board the application process is rigorous and annual, and said the county formed a housing selection committee so towns with more eligible houses than their individual grant funding allows could include additional properties in the county application. He said some towns already have experience administering this program and that some houses may be for full replacement while others may be for rehabilitation depending on need.

Commissioners and members of the public cited several example addresses during the hearing, including 218 East Church Street and 217 Franklin Street, and asked how those addresses were chosen. Commissioner Daniels (referenced during the hearing) and other commissioners requested that staff stay after the meeting to review the address-selection process in more detail.

Miss Gallimore, cited as a member of the housing selection committee, was described in the hearing as familiar with the process and the types of houses that qualify. County staff also said the Council of Governments (COG) can provide outreach materials and that the county will work to bring more applicants into the process before next year's application cycle.

After closing the public hearing, a commissioner moved to approve the resolution authorizing Northampton County's application for Community Development Block Grant funding for the 2025 CDBG project. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the record shows an affirmative voice vote and the chair declared the resolution approved.

The discussion included a comment that a figure of $950,000 "sounds like a lot" but may not cover many housing replacements; however, the transcript does not specify whether that figure referred to this specific application or another funding amount. The county said more one-on-one assistance is available for towns and residents interested in applying.

The public hearing and approval complete the county's step to submit an application; further details about awards, specific grant amounts per house, or final selections will depend on the grant review and award process.