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Residents press council for accountability as CDBG amendment moves forward
Summary
During a lengthy public hearing the council approved a substantial amendment to the FY 2025–26 CDBG action plan while dozens of residents demanded quarterly updates, clearer spending timelines and more oversight of multi-year unspent funds.
The San Bernardino City Council adopted a substantial amendment to the FY 2025–26 Annual Action Plan to allocate Community Development Block Grant funds, but the approval followed extended public comment calling for stronger oversight and clearer reporting on how long-standing federal funds have been managed.
Multiple speakers during the public-hearing period told the council that CDBG allocations approved in prior years have remained unused and urged the city to provide regular updates on expenditures. One resident said, "Mi requerimiento es que tengamos actualizaciones trimestrales" and asked that the council require quarterly progress reports so taxpayers can track where money is spent.
City staff explained HUD’s consolidated-plan and annual-action-plan requirements, described historical factors that left some funds unspent dating back to 2019, and outlined the recommended reallocation steps needed for compliance. Staff told the council that with the current administration the city has identified a substantial pool of funds now available for projects; staff also said changes will be brought forward with the required documentation.
Council members voted to approve the amendment unanimously. The vote authorizes staff to move forward with the allocations and to implement the action plan changes; it does not itself spend funds on projects — specific contracts and subrecipient agreements will return to council for approval. During the meeting several public commenters said they expect the city to formalize a reporting schedule and to provide clear metrics for completed work.
What happens next: Housing and community-development staff will finalize the action-plan documents and are expected to return with timelines, subrecipient agreements and recommended reporting cadence. Several public speakers explicitly requested quarterly public updates; council members acknowledged the request and asked staff to provide programmatic follow-up.
The council’s approval keeps the city in compliance with federal program deadlines but leaves implementation details — contractor selection, project schedules and reporting frequency — to follow-up staff reports and future council actions.
