County hears draft $1.06 million CDBG plan; commissioners debate sidewalks and tiny‑home options

Clay County staff presented the draft consolidated plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement and the draft annual action plan for year one of the five‑year cycle at the Board of County Commissioners meeting.

Jody Heisler, grants compliance manager, told the board the year‑one HUD award estimate is $1,057,772 and outlined the proposed year‑1 allocations: $634,663 for infrastructure, $264,443 for parks and public facilities, $105,777 for community partnerships and nonprofit expansion, and $52,889 for administration. She said the consolidated plan uses lessons learned from the county’s first five‑year cycle and aims to align projects with the county’s strategic priorities.

Why it matters: the CDBG plan directs federal entitlement funding to low‑ and moderate‑income areas and sets multi‑year priorities that determine which projects can proceed quickly once funds land. Staff told the board the proposed projects include sidewalk installations, ADA intersection upgrades, park accessibility improvements in low‑to‑moderate income neighborhoods, and nonprofit capacity building.

Commissioner (voice 16) expressed reservations about concentrating CDBG dollars on sidewalks in already developed areas and said projects should be evaluated by district need. He also noted community interest in using CDBG funds toward affordable‑housing solutions such as tiny homes and urged careful scope definition. Heisler responded that tiny‑home communities are an allowable expense under CDBG if categorized and scoped appropriately, but that converting the annual action plan to construction of housing may require a substantial amendment.

The meeting also included public comment. Jessica Povalecki, representing the Veterans Council and Clay Veterans, urged the county to include community facilities and veteran‑centered services in future annual plans to provide meeting space and centralized access to services.

Next steps: staff said public comment remains open through July 18 and that the board will see a revised draft and the second public hearing at the July 28 meeting. Commissioners directed staff to remove explicit nonprofit listings from the annual plan language so awards can be competitively considered.