County Executive Falk: County Seeks Proposals for Spending $1,100,000 in CDBG and HOME Funds

July 14, 2005
Lesley Sillaman, Office of the County Executive (608) 267-8823

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk today announced that Dane County is now accepting applications for a limited round of funding ($500,000) in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and a full round of funding ($600,000) on the HOME Investment Partnerships program that increase affordable housing, revitalize communities and create jobs, and provide services to the elderly, families and youth. “These dollars make a real difference in people’s lives and in communities all across our county,” said Falk. Earlier this year, President Bush eliminated funding for CDBG in his proposed budget. Due to lobbying efforts over the past few months by the County and others at the state and federal levels on behalf of the program, Congress has restored some funding for the program (although the federal bill has not passed yet). Due to this situation, County Executive Falk has recommended a limited cycle of CDBG funding, giving priority to projects that would be adversely impacted by any interruption in the flow of grant funds. In the past, CDBG grants have gone to projects like a new Boys and Girls Club in the Allied Drive area, 32 new affordable housing units in Fitchburg and to fund the Neighbor-Owned Affordable Housing Program which gives money to a homeowner to purchase and rehabilitate a 1-4 unit building and then live in one unit and rent the others to low income persons. County Executive Falk took steps in 1998 to apply to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to become an “Urban County” eligible to receive annual HUD funding. Currently, 32 towns, 14 villages and 6 cities now form the urban county consortium. Funding priorities for the HOME funds include: · Homebuyer assistance programs · Housing rehabilitation - owner and renter · Development of owner or renter infill housing using Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) principles · Infill housing identified in the county’s Better Urban Infill Development plan · Projects that leverage additional sources of funding · Projects that include lower income or disabled persons Funding priorities for the county’s CDBG funds include: · Homebuyer assistance programs · Single-family housing rehabilitation · Affordable housing land acquisition · Homeless services and other public services · Downtown commercial façade improvements · Small business development · Commercial loans · Youth and Senior Centers. All of the projects must be located in municipalities that participate in Dane County’s Urban County consortium. The participating communities are: Towns: Albion, Berry, Black Earth, Blooming Grove, Blue Mounds, Burke, Christiana, Cottage Grove, Cross Plains, Dane, Deerfield, Dunkirk, Dunn, Madison, Mazomanie, Medina, Middleton, Montrose, Oregon, Pleasant Springs, Primrose, Roxbury, Rutland, Springdale, Springfield, Sun Prairie, Vermont, Verona, Vienna, Westport, Windsor, York. Villages: Belleville, Black Earth, Blue Mounds, Brooklyn, Cambridge, Cross Plains, Deerfield, McFarland, Marshall, Mount Horeb, Oregon, Shorewood Hills, Waunakee and DeForest. Cities: Fitchburg, Middleton, Monona, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, Verona To apply, or with questions, please contact Ann Webbles of the CDBG staff at 261-9782 or webbles@co.dane.wi.us. The deadline for applying is August 12, 2005. Preliminary funding recommendations will be considered by the CDBG Commission in September 2005, and will then be considered by the County Executive and the Dane County Board of Supervisors. Funding, if approved, will be for the grant year running from January 1 through December 31, 2006. # # #