Council asks CED to study sewer-hookup affordability using block-grant and consolidated-plan funds

The council asked the Community Economic Development Committee (CED) to study a program to increase access to sewer hookups for low-income neighborhoods, using block grant and consolidated-plan dollars rather than limiting the effort to Neighborhood Preservation Program funds.

Councilmember Hernandez said neighborhood-level programs would be more cost-effective than one-household-at-a-time approaches and suggested incentives and partial subsidy models that could be phased by census tract. Councilmember Padilla noted the issue exists across multiple districts and urged the consolidated plan and unspent block grant dollars be considered. The council amended the motion to refer the fuller report to CED and approved the amendment and the item on the floor.

Outcome: the council approved the referral to CED and asked for a report that would examine broader block-grant and consolidated-plan funding options and possible incentive structures to make sewer hookups more affordable in low-income census tracts.