Community Service Committee considers grants and reallocations for Hope Center elevator, lead-paint work and housing funds

Chairman Penrose Hollins presented multiple budget and reallocation items to the New Castle County Community Service Committee on March 24, including grants for the Hope Center, HUD pass-through funds for lead-based paint hazard reduction, and reallocation of federal and county affordable housing funds.

Hollins said the committee would table ordinance 26024 for later consideration. He introduced an amendment to the grants budget to appropriate $91,500 from the state of Delaware Community Redevelopment Reinvestment Fund for the Hope Center elevator renovation, sponsored by Hollins and Councilman Jay Street. The committee recorded no public online comments on the item.

Hollins also introduced an amendment to appropriate additional federal funds of $143,970 (and an additional transcribed figure of $9) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, passed through from the City of Wilmington, for lead-based paint hazard reduction administered by the Department of Community Services. The transcript records the amount as "$143,970 and $9;" that figure is unclear in the record and should be confirmed with county staff or the grant documents.

The chair moved two reallocation items: $1,856,000 in the New Castle County Federal Housing Fund to be reallocated between projects administered by the Department of Community Services, and $1,000,000 in the New Castle County Affordable Housing Fund to be reallocated between existing contracts with Delaware Valley Development Corporation projects. For each of these items the transcript shows the chair introducing the motion and asking for comments; no council debate or recorded votes appear in the transcript.

The committee approved the February 24 minutes earlier in the meeting, and the session ended after brief closing remarks and a motion to adjourn. The transcript does not record final adoption votes on the grants or reallocation items during this meeting; the items were introduced for committee consideration.