South Jordan council approves tentative 2026–27 CDBG action plan, prioritizing ADA ramps and audible crosswalk buttons

Mayor Dawn Ramsey and the South Jordan City Council approved resolution R2026-06 on April 7, 2026, adopting the city’s tentative 2026–27 annual action plan for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

Associate Director of Finance Katie Olson presented the plan and explained CDBG is a HUD entitlement program intended to benefit low‑ and moderate‑income residents. Olson said the plan focuses on correcting accessibility deficiencies (ADA ramps and audible pedestrian push buttons), maintaining existing housing, improving deficient neighborhoods and supporting services for vulnerable populations. She cautioned the awards are tentative until HUD finalizes the allocation and said the city published a contingency plan to keep projects moving.

The tentative budget allocates funds toward hard‑cost projects (including ADA ramps and audible push‑button upgrades), with a public‑services cap the city intends to keep near the 15% maximum allowed under HUD rules. Olson said the city typically plans for about $220,000 in CDBG resources and that this year’s working estimate used in planning was approximately $235,100 (she emphasized this is an estimate pending HUD’s final allocation).

During the public hearing, Steven Burt of Daybreak urged support for the accessibility measures and called the plan “tremendously well done and thoughtful.” John Russell of Habitat for Humanity emphasized the need for critical home‑repair funding for low‑ and moderate‑income residents; Olson said Habitat requested $100,000–$150,000 and that the city would fund a smaller pilot (20–30 repairs) if additional federal funds become available.

Council members asked technical questions about how HUD determines low‑to‑moderate‑income areas, how many audible push‑button upgrades the budget could buy (Olson and engineering staff estimated roughly 4–8, depending on signal type and costs) and whether the service providers funded are located inside the city. Olson said many funded service providers operate outside city limits (for example, South Valley Services and Legal Aid) but the city tracks how many South Jordan residents they serve before paying for services.

With no substantive changes proposed, Council member Zander moved to approve resolution R2026‑06 and Council member Johnson seconded. The council approved the resolution by roll call.

Next steps: Olson said the plan will remain open for public comment for more than 30 days and that final awards will be adjusted when HUD issues the actual allocation. The Habitat critical‑repair program will be funded only if the city receives additional funds from HUD.