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Oxford City hears public safety concerns about Public Works parking lot and opens CDBG closeout hearing; planning board member urges separate meeting
Summary
During public comment on July 14, residents pressed the commission to repair potholes at the Public Works parking lot and asked that the city publish an after-action report for a $900,000 CDBG grant; a planning board member urged a standalone meeting to discuss the UDO and campus study.
Oxford City commissioners heard several public comments and opened a public hearing on the closeout of a 2020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) during their July 14 meeting.
Margaret Shamley of 28 East Front Street spoke first, asking the commission to address safety issues at the Public Works building parking lot. "The parking lot needs a lot of help. There's a lot of potholes... When can this be addressed for public safety?" Shamley asked. City staff indicated an engineering staff member was reviewing the site and that the subject could be brought to the next public works meeting.
Larry Thomas, identified as a planning board member, urged better coordination between the board of commissioners and the planning board. He asked that the planning board receive the campus study summary in advance and suggested removing one of two rural/urban standards from the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and clarifying permitted uses for city-owned downtown property.
The commission opened a public hearing on the closeout of Community Development Block Grant number 20-B-3524. According to the clerk’s remarks in the hearing, the city received $900,000 in CDBG funds in 2020 from the Rural Economic Development Division to provide utility and mortgage assistance for residents affected by COVID-19 and to install public broadband in downtown Oxford.
Rodney Darryl Jones asked whether an after-action report summarizing how the CDBG expenditures were made would be published. The clerk replied that such documentation could be published for public review.
The public hearing remained open for comment; no additional speakers addressed the CDBG closeout during the recorded segment. The commission later proceeded to old business and votes; staff indicated the CDBG closeout record would be made available.
What happens next
- The Public Works parking-lot condition will be examined by engineering staff and discussed at the next public works meeting if warranted. - The planning board and commission are expected to coordinate on the campus study and UDO questions at a separately scheduled meeting or committee discussion. - Staff indicated the CDBG expenditure synopsis/after-action report will be published for public access as part of the closeout.
