The Community Development Committee met 04/23/2025. One of the information items they received was a review of the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan for the Community Development Block Grant Program. Per the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, “The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.”
The city is required to submit annual plans and 5-year plans to the federal government in order to receive CDBG dollars.
I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:
Community Development Specialist Olivia Galyon told the committee that Appleton annually receives CDBG dollars from HUD. Appleton is considered an entitlement community so it automatically receives funds every year without applying for them as long as it follow all the regulations and submit the required annual and five-year plans which explain how it intends to use the funds.
The five-year plan for 2025-2029 indicates the city intends to spend the money it receives to:
- Improve and maintain housing stock
- Provide homebuyer assistance
- Acquire new housing
- Improve and maintain public facilities
- Revitalize neighborhoods
- Provide public services
Ms. Galyon said that the goals and strategies they had come up with were developed through feedback received from the community on needs and issues as well as studying census data which could indicate what sort of things the community lacked.
Part of the process required a public comment period. That ran from March 11 – April 13, but they hadn’t received any public comments or any interest in any of the public hearings. Ms. Galyon indicated that if they received any comments in the next few months before they submitted the plan for approval they would, of course, include that.
She did not have a definitive timeline on submittal. They needed to receive the 2025 CDBG allocations before they could proceed because those numbers were one of the things they based the plan on. Once the plan was finalized it would be brought forward one more time for another public hearing before it was approved by the committee and Council and then submitted to HUD.
The ways in which the city planned to allocate its anticipated 2025 funds had been preliminarily determined back in January of this year. It was noted that those preliminary allocations (which were based on estimates) and the associated planned programs could be impacted and altered to some degree when Appleton received the actual dollar amount it would be awarded.
Alderperson Vaya Jones (District 10) asked how federal cuts were impacting the application process. Ms. Galyon responded that staff was anticipating that Appleton’s CDBG allocation would remain steady. She was hopeful they would receive the dollar figure in the middle of May. She was not worried at present.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1281341&GUID=0DBCD3EF-9655-4EA2-A2B0-1817729B442E
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