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Waterloo proclaims National Community Development Week; Mayor honors community development director Rudy Jones
Summary
Mayor Dave Boesen on April 8 proclaimed April 6–10, 2026, National Community Development Week for the City of Waterloo, citing more than $4 million in CDBG funds and over $2 million in HOME funds received recently and introduced Rudy Jones, the city’s community development director, who described HUD-funded housing and neighborhood work as he prepares to retire.
Mayor Dave Boesen on April 8 read a City of Waterloo proclamation declaring April 6–10, 2026, National Community Development Week and urged Congress to increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant program.
The proclamation said the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships programs support housing rehabilitation, emergency repairs, affordable housing development, demolition and site clearance, and a range of public service programs. "I, Dave Boesen, mayor of the City of Waterloo, Iowa, do hereby proclaim the week of April 6th through the 10th, 2026 as National Community Development Week," the proclamation reads.
Boesen noted recent local totals: the city has received more than $4 million in Community Development Block Grant funds and more than $2 million in HOME funds over the past four years, the proclamation said; the HOME total includes HOME-ARP (American Rescue Plan) funds. He also said the city is using a healthy homes production grant "just under two $2 million" to address environmental health and safety hazards in local housing stock.
Boesen introduced Rudy Jones, identified in the meeting as Waterloo's community development director. Jones said the programs are driven by federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and by local partnerships. "We're funded with federal funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development," Jones said, adding that community development work goes beyond housing to the larger neighborhood supports that improve employment and housing sustainability.
Jones credited collaborations with local nonprofits and resident engagement for advancing projects and helping staff understand neighborhood needs. Boesen praised Jones’s leadership and said representatives from a block grant group, McElroy Gaming, and the Waterloo Foundation had recently commended his work. Jones said he has helped connect people and organizations and acknowledged he will retire this year, using a relay metaphor: "you got to pass the baton at a certain place in time, so the whole team is able to keep moving forward."
The proclamation was signed and sealed by Mayor Boesen on April 8, 2026. The event highlighted the city’s recent federal grant activity and called for continued federal support for CDBG and HOME programs.
