Missouri City council approves $343,000 CDBG plan, prioritizing street repairs and Meals on Wheels

The Missouri City Council unanimously approved the city's 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan on Aug. 3, authorizing staff to allocate approximately $343,000 in HUD funds to eligible projects in the city's designated low-to-moderate-income areas.

Assistant City Manager Shashi Kumar told council that CDAC (the advisory committee) recommended prioritizing shovel-ready infrastructure to ensure the city uses the funds promptly after recent HUD delays. "The dollar amount that we are receiving this year is about $343,000," Kumar said, adding that staff proposed allocating about $153,000 of that total to pavement and street repairs in eligible CDBG areas.

The recommended allocation also keeps public service spending (capped at 15%) to organizations such as Fort Bend Seniors Meals On Wheels and preserves up to 20% for planning and administration. Councilman O'Reilly highlighted changes in HUD's targeted-area map for 2026 and flagged the Meals On Wheels award as responsive to local need, noting the organization serves a disproportionately high share of local clients: "24% of them are right here in Missouri City," he said.

Council and staff also discussed operational issues: faster payment processing of receipts and better communication with subrecipients to improve spending timeliness. Council Member Riley moved to approve the allocations as presented; the motion was seconded by Council Member Oderkirk and carried unanimously.

Next step: staff will coordinate with Public Works to select projects from an existing list of eligible repairs in CDBG areas and proceed with execution in accordance with HUD rules.