Commission votes to prioritize infrastructure and public facilities in 2027 CDBG action plan

The Community Development and Housing Grant Commission voted June 10 to direct staff to prioritize infrastructure and public facilities when preparing the county's 2027 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan.

A commission staff member told members that HUD repeatedly advised focusing on larger infrastructure projects such as roads and sidewalks so communities can fund fewer, larger projects that produce "a bigger impact" and reduce monitoring burdens. The staff member emphasized HUD framed the approach as a priority, not an absolute scoring rule.

Commission members discussed trade-offs for local agencies that often rely on CDBG for public services, noting public service awards are capped at 15 percent of CDBG funds. The staff member acknowledged some agencies receive multiple funding streams and that impacts will vary by organization. The transcript includes an unconfirmed remark that the HOME program "may be cut" substantially; the staff member characterized that as a rumor and said they would wait for confirmation.

Members also asked technical questions about eligibility and area-benefit tests for projects that serve low- and moderate-income areas. The staff member cited an area-benefit threshold in the discussion but the transcript contains inconsistent percentage figures (48.3% in one place and 40.3% in another); the commission did not resolve that discrepancy in the meeting.

After discussion, a member moved and another seconded a motion "that our focus is on infrastructure and public facilities." The commission approved the motion by voice vote and directed staff to proceed with outreach and planning for the 2027 action plan prioritization. The motion did not include a recorded roll-call tally in the transcript; the outcome was recorded as "motion carries."

Staff said the Notice of Availability (NOA) or notebook for the next funding round is typically issued in late October or early November and that the county will publish a public notice in the newspaper, post the NOA on the county website and email prior applicants and contacts as a courtesy. Members discussed providing a pre-notice courtesy to affected agencies so applicants are not surprised.

The commission scheduled its next meeting for Nov. 10 at 8:30 a.m. and adjourned. The county will notify agencies when the NOA is released and staff will provide further application guidance and category definitions for prospective applicants.