Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cdbg Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chair moves to substitute mayor's draft CDBG budget into ordinance; committee agrees to cosponsor
Summary
At a March 27 Special Committees meeting, members heard a mayoral communication on the Consolidated Plan and $17.5 million in federal funding requests for CDBG, HOME, ESG and HOPWA programs, and agreed to cosponsor a substitute ordinance so the plan can proceed to Council and HUD submission.
A Special Committees meeting on March 27, 2026, advanced the mayor's proposed federal funding priorities when members agreed to cosponsor a substitute ordinance that would carry the city's Consolidated Plan/annual action plan forward to the City Council.
A city presenter speaking on behalf of Mayor Smiley outlined the draft as the second year of the 2025-to-2029 consolidated plan and said staff received "$17,500,000 in requests," covering Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and HOPWA funds. The presenter said staff prioritized proposals to support "food access, childcare, wellness prevention, and refugee support," and also targeted facility and housing projects that address operational barriers and fire safety.
The chair asked for a motion to substitute the mayor's communication into ordinance form so the item could be scheduled for the Council docket. After discussion and staff explanation of timing, committee members agreed to cosign the substitute ordinance. The clerk recorded assent from members during the meeting.
Staff described the timeline: substituting the draft into ordinance form this evening would allow the committee to meet its early-May docket timing and proceed through the two Council passages the committee identified as necessary before the HUD annual action plan narrative is finalized. Staff said, barring federal disruptions, that meeting those deadlines would position the city for an anticipated program start in early July once HUD completes its review.
Robert Baptiste III, a project manager who identified himself for the record, thanked the committee and community partners for their engagement and said the application and selection process went "pretty smoothly." Committee members and staff also recognized Kyle Delgado and Margaret Epstein for their roles in identifying and preparing projects for inclusion in the ordinance.
The communication and the substitute ordinance package together reflect an allocation approach for the upcoming program year that emphasizes both services (food access, childcare, wellness/prevention, refugee support) and capital or facility improvements intended to create or preserve affordable housing and improve safety.
Next steps: the substitute ordinance will proceed to the City Council docket for the committee's required passages and staff will complete the longer HUD annual action plan submission timeline as described by staff during the meeting.
