Committee trims 2026 CDBG awards slightly, preserves funding for women’s initiative and CDA

The Wauwatosa Financial Affairs Committee approved adjusted Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) awards for the 2026 program year after staff said the federal allocation came in about $30,000 below the $1,000,000 estimate.

Carl, presenting the staff and CDBG committee recommendations, said the published award left the city with just over $970,000 for CDBG and that staff applied roughly a 3% reduction across recommended amounts to reconcile the shortfall. "We estimated $1,000,000. Last week, the award was published and we're $30,000 short," he said, adding that two subrecipients — WIBBEC (Wisconsin Women Business Corporation) and the Community Development Authority (CDA) of Wauwatosa — were not reduced after committee discussion.

Alder Morgan moved approval and cited continued support for programs tied to affordable and fair housing and senior services. Other members asked why some long‑time recipients repeatedly apply; Carl said the Lutheran Home and Lutheran Manor requested capital and accessibility work and have historically applied each year. "They've been funded consistently in the past," Carl said, and even with the adjustment the recipients would receive more in 2026 than in 2025.

Committee members also pressed staff on eligibility rules; the chair and staff stressed these are federal passthrough dollars with program criteria tied to the income served and physical facility eligibility, which excludes some market‑rate providers. After discussion the committee voted to approve the adjusted funding matrix as posted, 7–0.

The committee did not receive any public comment on the item during the meeting. The staff packet and the committee’s color‑coded funding matrix list the specific award amounts and the reduced figures for the public‑facility category.