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Residents, council seek clarity as DeSoto reviews draft CDBG 2026-27 action plan
Summary
At a public hearing, staff presented the draft 2026-27 Community Development Block Grant action plan and answered council questions about program allocations, rollover rules and eligibility for nonmandatory neighborhood projects. Residents urged staff to allow entryway and neighborhood infrastructure funding for voluntary associations.
Esther Williams, the city's director of community service external affairs, presented the draft 2026-27 Community Development Block Grant action plan at the July 21 DeSoto City Council meeting, describing program priorities, recent expenditures and proposed allocations. "This year's allocation will be about $2,260,011," Williams said in the slide presentation, and she also walked council through program uses including home repair, public services and administration.
Williams told council the home-repair program is set at about 45% of the allotment—enough to serve roughly 10 homes depending on repair needs—and noted staff has begun the inspection process for those applicants. "We have about 10 homes that have gone through the application and approval process," she said, and staff expects inspection fees of about $16,000 to be charged against the home-repair allocation as inspections are completed.
The hearing drew a public comment from Tammy Adams, who said her voluntary neighborhood association, Center Estates off Wintergreen, has lost members and matching capacity after investor-driven turnover. "We're just looking for assistance to keep our front entryway beautiful," Adams said, asking whether the proposed neighborhood-infrastructure line could include nonmandatory community associations. Mayor Rachel Proctor responded that staff would take notes and follow up, and Williams said the city can evaluate Low- to Moderate-Income Area (LMA) eligibility for specific census tracts and reprogram funds as needed.
Councilmembers pressed staff for clearer slides and year-by-year accounting; Perrette Parker asked for an explicit column showing past allocations, current expenditures and projected carryover so the public can see what remains to be spent. Williams acknowledged some slide numbers came from different report views and recommended staff provide a consolidated, annotated table. City Manager Majid Algaffrey added that reprogramming funds back into the plan is possible but any reallocation above $25,000 would be brought back to council for approval.
The presentation included other specifics: the city allocated $90,000 for senior-center facility improvements (roofing was resolved by insurance, so funds are being redirected into ADA and bathroom work), and the transportation-assistance program has spent about $14,508 to provide qualified residents roughly $80 per month for transit. Williams also outlined a proposed open public-service grant (about $18,200 or ~7% of the allocation) to support nonprofits providing senior services, workforce training or homelessness prevention.
No action was taken; the hearing was for information and community input. Williams and staff said they will reconcile the presentation figures into a single packet and confirm HUD deadlines, rollover rules and any proposed program language so council can consider any formal adoption or amendments in a later meeting.
