JAMESTOWN – Residents interested in offering guidance on how federal housing and development investment money should be spent will want to attend a public hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday in City hall.
A public hearing on the allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding –which is appropriated to communities annually by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development – will be held at 5 p.m. in the Jamestown City Council chambers, Second Floor of city hall.
The purpose of the public hearing is to assist the Jamestown Department of Development in gaining a better understanding of the housing, neighborhood, and economic development needs that might be addressed through the City’s CDBG and HOME allocations for 2017.
Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi says at this point, the city doesn’t know how much funding will be allocated, but Tuesday’s hearing will at least get the process started.
Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi discusses the impact the elimination of CDBG and Home programs would have on the city during the March 20, 2017 meeting of the Jamestown City Council.
“We are still waiting to hear what the actual final number is going to be for 2017,” Teresi said. “We suspect that it is going to be similar to what we were allocating for both programs in 2016, and until we get a firm number from HUD, we’ll be putting together a draft program based on last year’s numbers.”
In addition to gathering input, the city is also inviting those who have benefited from CDBG and HOME’s demolition, rehabilitation, and public infrastructure improvement programs over the last several decades to come share their stories.
President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating the CDBG program, which has been in place since the early 1990s. Both local, state, and federal officials from both sides of the aisle have since come out in support of keeping the program in place – including mayor Teresi, who shared his concerns with the proposal during the city council’s March 20 work session.
Those who are unable to attend Tuesday’s hearing are invited to submit their comments, in writing, to the Department of Development no later than May 12.
Once feedback has been received, a final proposed spending plan will be created by the Department of Development, reviewed by the mayor and city council – with a final public hearing to allow for review from the public –before the plan is then sent off to HUD for its review.
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