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Town reviews CDBG closeout; resident urges local housing agency
Summary
Town staff reported closeout numbers for a $750,000 CDBG neighborhood‑revitalization grant that produced roughly $587,000 in reimbursed expenditures and substantial rehabilitation for three high‑need owner households. Public commenter Bob Bish praised results but urged the town to rethink selection, local control and future grant strategy.
Town staff presented a procedural closeout for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grant number 19‑C‑3140 and invited public comment at the Spencer Town Board meeting.
Mr. Harris, the staff member leading the closeout, told the board the town originally received $750,000 for neighborhood revitalization. He said the program had expended reimbursed funds totaling $587,000.217 to date, with about 90.7% going to construction and rehabilitation and roughly 9.3% to administration. The three completed homeowner projects, Mr. Harris said, focused on major accessibility and health‑and‑safety repairs: ramps and vertical lifts, widened doors, structural repairs, roof and drainage work, and plumbing, electrical and HVAC upgrades. He noted two assisted households included permanently disabled residents and one was a limited‑English‑proficiency household requiring translation assistance. Mr. Harris characterized the hearing as a procedural step and said a fuller report to the Board and the Housing Selection Committee would follow.
During the public hearing, Bob Bish of 400 North Yadkin addressed the board. Bish said he was both “for and against” the program: he praised staff accomplishments but criticized the outcome compared with the original application goal. "When we initially applied, we very ambitiously said we would help 10 households," Bish said, but rising construction costs and the program’s requirement for code‑compliant reconstruction meant the selection process produced much larger per‑household costs and only three completed projects. He recommended greater committee involvement in project selection and urged the town to consider creating its own housing development entity rather than relying on regional partners to manage future grants.
The board closed the public hearing after accepting the single signed speaker’s comments. Mr. Harris and staff indicated they will return with a detailed closeout package showing scope‑of‑work and beneficiary data for the board to review.
The hearing record shows no formal vote altering program outcomes tonight; the closeout public hearing was a required procedural element of the grant closeout process.
