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Council hears CDBG award recommendations, approves reallocations to Wheaten Park and event funding options
Summary
Staff presented FY27 CDBG public-service recommendations totaling about $126,000 (under the HUD 15% cap) and proposed reallocations of leftover CDBG-CV funds to Wheaten Park tennis improvements and $25,486.70 to close a Wheaten Park band shell bid gap; council also discussed using leftover summer-camp funds for youth programming and events.
City staff recommended May 5 that the council adopt the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) advisory committee's FY27 public-service funding scenario and approved a set of reallocations to address small unexpended balances.
Margie briefed the council on the advisory committee's scoring and funding scenario: under HUD rules the public-service cap is roughly 15% of the upcoming entitlement plus program income (about $131,000 by staff estimate); the committee recommended awards totaling approximately $126,000 to support more nonprofit programs by modestly trimming some requests. Margie noted the committee and staff will incorporate these awards into the FY27 CDBG Annual Action Plan and present the full plan for final actions in the coming weeks.
Beyond public-service awards, staff identified several allocations not subject to the 15% cap: housing program grants (e.g., Habitat for Humanity brush-rehab assistance and a down-payment assistance program run by the Hagerstown Neighborhood Development Partnership) and a $25,000 capital grant recommended for demolition work at the Dolman Black Heritage Museum site.
On spending from earlier COVID-related CDBG-CV funds, staff reported a remaining balance of $3,990. HUD requires full expenditure by Aug. 10; staff recommended reallocating the remaining CDBG-CV balance to ongoing Wheaten Park tennis-court improvements so the city can meet HUD timelines and complete the park project.
Council also reviewed a funding gap for Wheaten Park phase 2 after the lowest accepted construction bid came in about $25,486 above currently allocated funds. Staff requested reallocating $25,486.70 in unexpended CDBG funds to cover the shortfall; the council supported the reallocation and staff noted the public-comment period for the reallocation closes May 25 and final approval will be on the May 26 regular session agenda.
Earlier in the session staff had proposed a reallocation of $12,500 in unused summer-camp funding (the city had fully funded three applicants) across events including Fall Fest, fireworks and Christmas Park lighting, but several council members urged prioritizing youth programming and in particular support for local youth basketball league activities; staff will return with a formal resolution to carry out any external awards.
No final appropriation vote was taken on the CDBG Annual Action Plan at this meeting; the council agreed with staff recommendations to proceed through the required public-comment period and to bring final documents back for formal action at the regular session.
