100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
Henderson City Manager E. Terrell Blackmon provided WIZS with the following summary of the City’s second public hearing regarding the submission of a Coronavirus-related Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV). The hearing was held Wednesday, September 23, 2020.
There was no one present to speak for or against the City’s proposed Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Application (CDBG-CV) at Wednesday’s second public hearing on the matter.
The purpose of the hearing, very similar to the first, was to receive citizen input regarding the City’s intent to apply for Community Development Block Grant CDBG Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds from the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division (REDD). The North Carolina CDBG-CV Program is designed to help non-entitlement municipalities or counties to prepare, prevent, or respond to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19.
As noted by Governor Roy Cooper, “efforts to support families, small business, and economic recovery remain critical” during the COVID-19 pandemic. In support of these public health and economic recovery goals, North Carolina CDBG-CV Program projects must incorporate at least one of the following as an area of focus:
- Support families and communities through telehealth support and other public services.
- Protect the most vulnerable and high-risk populations.
- Assist small businesses with economic recovery.
- Address testing, tracing, and trends.
The State has established the following funding priorities by eligible activity:
- Public Service: The priority in this category is subsistence payments to prevent evictions and utility disconnections. Food distribution, testing and diagnosis, and employment training for health care workers on the frontlines are also prioritized.
- Public Facilities: The priority in this category is broadband services and enhancing internet access that supports increased connectivity to schools, jobs, and healthcare.
The City of Henderson is proposing to utilize the funds primarily to address eligible activities in the Public Service category, such as subsistence payments to prevent evictions and utility disconnections. In addition, broadband services and enhancing internet falls under the Public facilities category.
The maximum grant is $900,000, which the City intends to apply for, and the grant period is 30 months or less. Applications are being accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis as of September 1, 2020, and there is $26.55 million available in funding.
Now that the City has met the public hearing requirements, its plan is to finalize and submit an application to the State by the end of September, but no later than early October.
