Martin County commissioners approve CDBG-NR application, commit $8,000 local match

Martin County commissioners on Sept. 26 unanimously approved submitting an application for the 2018 Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) program and committed an $8,000 local contribution to bolster the county’s scoring.

Project Manager Mike Barnette of McDavid Associates told the board the statewide CDBG-NR funding pool totals $10,000,000 and that grant requests may be made for up to $750,000. Barnette said Martin County has more than 100 applicants in its housing assistance database; roughly 30 of those units have been judged to require more than the $40,000 cap available under the ESFRLP-DR program and therefore may be candidates for replacement assistance under CDBG-NR. "The total funding available was $10,000,000," Barnette said.

Barnette recommended that the county use its existing applicant database, have McDavid housing inspectors assess candidate units, and convene a Housing Selection Committee of at least three members appointed by the county manager. He advised including four framed (site-built) homes and two mobile homes in the application, limited to owner-occupied low- and moderate-income households; replacement units must be real property. Barnette said the program does not require a local match but that applications with committed local contributions receive additional points; he proposed a county commitment of $8,000 to be paid over three years.

During the public comment period, Patricia Mooring of Hamilton asked whether historically underutilized businesses (HUBs) — for example, William Clark’s barber business in Robersonville — could participate in projects funded through the grant. Barnette said HUB contractors in construction and renovation would be solicited and encouraged to bid on projects. Mooring also asked whether prior applicants would need to reapply; Barnette replied that applicants already in the county’s database need not reapply for this CDBG-NR application.

After public comment, the board closed the hearing and took three recorded motions: to submit the 2018 CDBG-NR application, to authorize the chairman to sign the application paperwork and to approve the minutes of the first and second public hearings for inclusion with the application, and to include Martin County’s $8,000 local contribution. Each motion passed unanimously. The board had earlier opened the required public hearing under the procedures cited by Barnette (Section 104(a)(2) of Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974; 24 CFR Part 570.486; 24 CFR Part 91; and 04 NCAC 19.L.1002).

The county manager and staff will proceed with required application paperwork and the Housing Selection Committee process if the grant application is accepted by the state. The Board adjourned at approximately 7:22 p.m.