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Roanoke council outlines $30M+ of federal earmark requests, votes to oppose SAVE Act and proposed cuts to CDBG/HOME/CoC
Summary
City staff described four federal community‑project funding requests — including $10M for an Amtrak station phase and $10M for a Mill Mountain Greenway phase — and Council voted to send letters opposing the SAVE Act and proposed federal eliminations of CDBG, HOME and HUD’s Continuum of Care programs.
City staff and a federal liaison briefed Roanoke’s legislative committee on April 6 about four community‑project funding requests the city submitted to its U.S. senators and partners.
Staff described the submissions as: a river kayak park request (just over $3 million), a phased Amtrak station renovation (phase one requested at $10 million), Mill Mountain Greenway bridge phase one ($10 million), and support for a Roanoke Regional Airport runway‑extension study (about $7 million). “We submitted three earmarks this time around,” the liaison said, adding the airport study was a partnered submittal; staff emphasized phasing large projects to match typical congressional community‑project funding levels.
Why it matters: if any of these requests are funded, they would provide federal capital dollars for local infrastructure priorities including transportation, recreation, and trail connections. Staff said they would provide the council with the official submission documents to confirm final requested amounts.
On federal policy, staff warned of possible impacts from higher‑level budget decisions. The city’s federal liaison said the president’s budget request included steep domestic spending reductions that could affect EPA, HHS and housing programs and flagged an active DHS funding impasse in Congress that could delay appropriations work.
Council took two formal advocacy actions: it voted to send a letter opposing the SAVE Act (a national voter‑ID proposal flagged in the briefing as controversial), and it voted to send a second letter opposing the presidential budget proposal items that would eliminate CDBG, the HOME Investment Partnerships program and HUD’s Continuum of Care. The SAVE Act motion carried with one recorded 'nay' (Councilmember Hagen); the latter motion passed unanimously.
What’s next: council directed staff to draft and transmit both letters and to provide copies to the council and delegation. Staff also confirmed they will deliver the official earmark submission files and dollar breakdowns for council review.
