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Morgantown releases draft FY2026 CDBG annual action plan; public comment period open through May 26
Summary
City officials presented a draft FY2026 Community Development Block Grant plan allocating roughly $460,000–$470,000 across public improvements, services and a housing rehabilitation pilot; staff said public comment runs through May 26 and that CAPER/performance reports can be provided on request.
City staff and consultants presented Morgantown's draft Fiscal Year 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan at the May 19 council meeting and invited council and public comment during the statutory public display period.
City Manager Miller introduced the item and emphasized that there is no action required at this meeting; the draft plan is on public display and staff will accept public comment through May 26. "We are within our public comment period," Miller said, noting the city will return to council in June for formal adoption after the comment period closes.
Chris Fletcher, a consultant supporting the plan, reviewed the preparation timeline and said FY2026 is the third year of the city's five‑year consolidated plan (2024–2028). Fletcher said the city conducted outreach to prior subrecipients and analyzed housing and demographic data to inform proposed activities.
Robin Hess, the city's grants writer, outlined proposed FY2026 allocations and activities. The draft plan proposes an entitlement allocation just over about $460,000 (staff and the consultant also referenced a figure "a little over $470,000" elsewhere in the presentation), and would prioritize continuing earlier projects — including Lower Greenmont Neighborhood green space and reconstruction of Pennsylvania Avenue and Deckers Creek Boulevard — while allocating a portion to public services through nonprofit subrecipients. Hess and Fletcher described three public‑service activities (youth intervention, legal aid, and a workforce/training proposal with West Virginia Women to Work) and a pilot housing rehabilitation program focusing on HVAC, water heaters and roofs in partnership with the housing authority.
Fletcher said the city imposes the statutory 15% cap on public service spending and walked council through past program performance reporting, noting CAPER (Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report) documents are available and that individual subrecipients file quarterly and final reports. "Legal aid with our 2025 money served 24 individuals," Fletcher said, and MACEAF (youth intervention) with 2025 funds served 72 youth and families.
Councilors noted low attendance at the public hearings held earlier in the process. Fletcher and Hess said the city met statutory notice requirements (newspaper and public posting) and offered to broaden outreach, including social media, and promised to provide more detailed CAPER/performance materials to council members on request.
Staff emphasized that the draft plan must still return to council for formal adoption after the comment period closes. No action was taken on May 19; the plan is scheduled to return to council in June for a final vote.
