RDA approves $15,000 roof grant for Shane Caruso despite contractor down‑payment concerns

The Monroe Redevelopment Authority Committee voted to approve a $15,000 Housing Improvement Program grant to fund a roof replacement for Shane Caruso, approving the application per the program's standard disbursement rules.

RDA staff told the committee the application meets program criteria and that Caruso switched to a lower-cost bid from Abbey Roofing. "What he's asking for is 15,000 to redo the roof on his home," RDA staff said. Members focused discussion on a recurring operational issue: several contractors are now asking for sizable upfront deposits. One member said contractors have requested as much as a 50% down payment and asked whether the RDA would change its practice to advance partial funds.

Some members pushed to keep the current practice of paying after completion to avoid disputes over unfinished work. "We basically told them that we'd give them the full payment after the work was completed like it was part of the program," an RDA member said, describing the rationale for payment-on-completion. Another member moved to approve the request "as our normal procedure"; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote.

The clerk recorded affirmative votes from Alder Schafer, Ron Spielman, Ron Markham, Brooke Bauman and Melissa Even. The committee did not adopt a new policy on contractor down payments at the meeting, but members suggested staff bring a program-level discussion to a future agenda so the RDA can decide whether to allow partial payments or require letters of commitment when partial payments are made.

Next steps: the grant will proceed under the program's current disbursement terms, and the committee asked staff to report back if the contractor requests an upfront payment or if members want to consider formal policy changes.