Councilman Michael Dougherty outlines federal funding opportunities after National League of Cities conference
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Summary
At the April 9 Moraine City Council meeting, Councilman Michael Dougherty described meetings and takeaways from the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference, including a Hill Day visit with Congressman Mike Turner and identified infrastructure and housing grant opportunities for the city.
At the April 9 meeting of the Moraine City Council, Councilman Michael Dougherty (Ward 1) reported on his recent attendance at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference and urged the council to pursue federal funding and stronger advocacy.
Dougherty said he participated in workshops and Hill Day meetings aimed at helping small cities navigate federal grant opportunities. He told the council he met in person with Congressman Mike Turner and met with staffers for other members of Congress. "Were paying federal tax dollars, so we need to make sure were trying to take advantage of these federal incentives too," he said, arguing that coordinated advocacy can yield infrastructure and housing support for Moraine.
Dougherty described serving on the National League of Cities Small Cities Council (cities under 50,000 residents) and said the conference emphasized both the scale of need in many municipalities and the tools available to pursue funding. He said one priority discussed was streamlining federal funding applications across agencies to reduce duplicate work and increase the citys chances for awards. He suggested practical steps — such as asking federal representatives for letters of support when applying for grants and tailoring grant narratives to show how projects benefit local families — to improve Moraines competitiveness for federal dollars.
On strategy, Dougherty said he and staff learned opportunities by building regional partnerships. He singled out cooperation with nearby Dayton officials and their federal lobbyists as a possible lever: "If there is anything we can partner with the city of Dayton, we can even possibly use their lobbyists to get some things done that we need on our end as well," he said.
Dougherty closed by listing next steps: he said he would meet with City Manager Mike Davis to review identified funding opportunities and refine the city's approach to advocacy and grant applications. The presentation concluded with a brief exchange of thanks and no follow-up questions from council members.
Why it matters: Federal grants and congressional engagement could help finance local infrastructure and housing projects in Moraine. Dougherty framed the conference as both an information-gathering effort and a step toward systematic, targeted advocacy that city staff and council can pursue ahead of formal grant applications.
