Norristown — After a public hearing and council discussion on Jan. 5, Norristown adopted Ordinance 25-10, the municipality’s 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan.

Jane Messonnier (planning) presented the program and timeline, noting Norristown is an entitlement community for HUD CDBG funds and must follow a public process tied to census-driven priorities and a five-year consolidated plan. She recounted outreach and required advertisements and explained that not acting tonight could jeopardize the application deadline to HUD.

The plan proposed line items including owner-occupied housing rehabilitation (the director named $45,978 set aside in the transcript for that program), housing rehabilitation technical support ($35,000), fair-housing complaint support ($30,000), funding to the Small Business Assistance Center ($40,000) and administrative staffing for planning ($147,000). The planning director also referenced a longstanding loan tied to the Logan Square project and a remaining minimum debt-payment obligation that affects grant availability; the director said the transcript figure for the total amount requested read as "$736.38," which appears truncated in the record and should be confirmed against the municipality’s published budget documents.

Public commenters asked how small businesses can apply for funds and about outreach; planning staff said the Small Business Assistance Center will present next week with details on funding opportunities and technical assistance. Following public comment, council closed the hearing and adopted Ordinance 25-10 on a roll-call vote.

The ordinance authorizes the municipality to file the annual action plan and seek HUD funds for the listed priorities. Staff said the plan will guide eligible project selection and grant administration once HUD finalizes annual allocations.