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Council approves CDBG engineering and legal master agreements amid public anger over application rollout
Summary
The City Council approved three engineering master service agreements and a legal contract for CDBG-funded projects and discussed allocations for home-repair programs after residents reported system failures and limited application access; staff promised ward-level summaries and further monitoring.
The Gulfport City Council approved a slate of master services agreements tied to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME-ARP and CDBG-CV projects after extended discussion about procurement, contract ceilings and distribution of home-repair funds.
Councilmembers questioned why the agenda included three engineering firms and one legal services contract, how 'not to exceed' amounts would be set, and whether a single firm could handle the anticipated workload before federal deadlines. Staff explained the federal procurement and program rules, said the master services agreements create a pool from which task orders will be issued, and confirmed the engineering firms would be selected for specific projects and subject to legal review and ratification before final award.
A large portion of the meeting became a de facto public oversight hearing after dozens of residents and community advocates described difficulties with the city's online application process for emergency home repairs. Multiple speakers said the application portal crashed during the opening window, that in-person assistance sites lacked adequate staffing or equipment, and that a 'first-come' limit (reported by residents as 50 applications at some sites) left many eligible households without access. Speakers asked for a clear, plain-language accounting of how past and current CDBG funds have been used and requested a forensic audit and a citizen oversight committee.
Staff said applicant addresses and full applicant lists are subject to public-record/confidentiality rules, but committed to provide aggregate ward-level counts and demographic breakdowns once available. Staff also said they are working with subrecipients to build capacity — for example, CLIMB CDC received a smaller initial allocation in part because of staffing and certification gaps at the time applications were scored. The council emphasized the need to improve outreach and to provide technical assistance for low- and moderate-income residents, including in-person support and clearer website information.
The motion to approve the CDBG-related resolutions (items 2a–2d) carried unanimously after staff agreed to ensure exhibit consistency for 'not to exceed' amounts and to return for ratification of negotiated task orders as required by federal rules.
Next steps: staff will provide ward-level application counts and demographic summaries, correct exhibit inconsistencies in contracts, and return future task-order awards for ratification as needed.
