RDA recommends three-year fair-housing contract and allocates $151,633 in CDBG public-service funds to local nonprofits

City staff asked the RDA to award a three-year contract for fair-housing services to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, the sole respondent to the RFP. Staff cited an ongoing relationship and the council’s prior work on fairness testing and investigations; staff noted six local complaints had been handled in the past year. The RDA approved the recommendation by voice vote.

Separately, staff presented recommended allocations of $151,633 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) public-service funds. Staff said the city received 10 applications totaling roughly $286,529 in requests; five applications were ineligible under HUD rules (for example, because they served populations outside city limits) and one recommended award was being withheld pending recent events and state monitoring of that organization (Newcap). The four organizations recommended for award were Freedom House ($7,025) to bolster transportation assistance, the Boys and Girls Club ($20,200) to expand after-hours transportation and staffing, We All Rise (recommended award restored to $70,000 after clarifying de minimis calculations), and an organization listed in the packet for recreational access (recommended $23,800). Staff explained the grants are reimbursement-based federal dollars, subject to monitoring and quarterly/annual reporting; city staff will perform annual site visits and review bookkeeping.

Members questioned oversight, eligibility, and the potential to re-open awards or reallocate unspent funds. Staff said they would re-review remaining applications and consider options for the additional request pool if funds remain available. The motion to approve the awards and contract was approved by voice vote; the record supplied in the transcript does not include a roll-call tally.