The big picture
At an Aug. 5 meeting, Missouri City City Council approved proposed recommendations for its Community Development Block Grant program consolidated plan. The five-year plan describes the community’s needs, priorities and proposed activities, said Jennifer Thomas Gomez, Missouri City’s director of development services.
CDBG funds are awarded to cities by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide low- and moderate-income residents with housing, suitable living environments and expanded economic opportunities, city officials said in an email.
Zooming in
Every five years, the city must complete a needs assessment survey, which will help city leaders determine where the funds are most needed in the community, Gomez said.
According to agenda documents, the CDBG advisory board has recommended the city’s high priorities, which include:
- Assistance for people with a disability
- Code enforcement
- Mental health
- Housing rehabilitation
- Battered individuals
- Meals on Wheels
- Educational services, including scholarship and adult basic education
- Infrastructure
Meanwhile, the CDBG advisory board has recommended homeless services, neighborhood cleanups, adult employment, and lead-based paint and hazardous testing abatement be placed as low-priority needs, she said.
What else?
In addition to the five-year consolidated plan, City Council also approved the 2024-25 program year annual action plan, which lays out specific uses of funding over the next program year, Gomez said.
The city expects to receive $325,070 in the 2024-25 program year, she said. The CDBG advisory board has recommended funding be allocated to:
- Five to 10 scholarships, $10,000
- Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels, $25,000
- Literacy Council of Fort Bend County, $10,000
- Palmer House, $3,760
- Housing rehabilitation program, $141,295
- Code enforcement, $70,000
- Planning and administrative activity, $65,014
City staff will collect public input for the recommendations through Aug. 14, Gomez said. Residents can provide comments by:
- Completing the online survey
- Completing a paper survey in-person at City Hall