Urban County CDBG Program

A ~40-year resident asked council simply: stand with the neighboring communities saying no.

A 28-year county employee cited the commissioners' credibility problems and asked council to follow constituents' wishes and vote no.

Thanked Corn Festival organizers, then noted the county letter allows opting out and seeking state funding, questioned the absence of a guaranteed allocation, and asked about impacts to rural/USDA funding.

County CDBG administrator corrected testimony: the lost funding was a state program, CDBG can be stacked with USDA funds, and the Beam Road project hasn't been bid — no cabal.

Urged a no vote, citing distrust of county commissioners, groundwater and environmental concerns, and opposition from neighboring rural communities.

Questioned the county's ability to administer HUD rules, estimated the city might receive only ~$88,000, and warned funding could be frozen if rules aren't followed.

Argued funding and good governance aren't mutually exclusive; suggested a regional authority, port authority, or allocation formula, and said a no or table vote costs nothing since the county can't qualify this round.

Cited council members' own statements of distrust, the mayor's admitted lack of knowledge about the county program, and the letter of intent signed before any council vote; asked council to vote no.

County Community Development staffer defended the program: guaranteed three-year funding, 70% to low/moderate-income residents, no data-center redirection, and a planned local advisory committee.

Eaton Township land-use veteran tied the designation to water and data-center development fears and asked council to vote no.

Alleged county corruption investigations and city procurement favoritism, said no allocation is guaranteed, and urged a no vote on Resolution 2026-75.

The county community development staffer defended the program: it goes directly to HUD for 3-4 times more money, requires citizen participation, and 63 local residents already have pending home-repair applications.

Not against more funding, but frustrated the city learned of the year-long effort only via a Facebook post the night before. He asked the city to give the public weeks, not days, before votes on major changes.

Firmly opposed the city opting into the county's urban CDBG program, arguing county commissioners can't be trusted with the money and the urban designation could starve rural communities of funding.