The commissioners each year receive many more requests for federal money than funds allow. This year the various communities and groups requested $4.3 million to support 25 projects to benefit low- and moderate-income residents. The commissioners this week approved $1.26 million for CDBG projects and programs and $746,960 in HOME funds for new housing and down payment assistance.
HUD requires a long-range plan setting priorities for the funding. Development Director David Fehr said they developed the five-year plan by taking the pulse of the public through 44 stakeholder interviews, a survey that 250 people filled out, two public meetings and 12 one-on-one in-depth stakeholder interviews.
It includes the same five high priorities as the previous plan, which are to improve the quality and affordability of housing; revitalize neighborhoods and rural areas; develop permanent supportive and transitional housing; support public services and education and improve public facilities targeted to the demographic for HUD support. Fehr said they erased the economic development which was a priority in the last plan.
“We did remove economic development as a priority item that was based on the survey results and I think the county has changed in the last five years,” Fehr said. “We now have the Butler County Finance Authority, we have a lot more tools out there for economic development, so we think other organizations are better in that role.”
That means roughly $350,000 is available for other endeavors. The largest allocations are $2 million apiece for down payment assistance and infrastructure/neighborhood revitalization. Fehr said over the last five years they have spent $1 million helping 230 home buyers.
He said the program’s guardrails include an $8,000 maximum per grant and a required “buyer education” plan. Participants must live in the house for five years.
“So it adds some stability and as many of you already know generational wealth, having home ownership is a huge factor,” Fehr said. “And our survey results did say that the the biggest barrier to purchasing a home continues to be down payment, not necessarily the monthly payment.”
Commissioner Don Dixon asked how they know people are staying in the homes for the full five years and why some might be leaving. Fehr said they put liens on the property and if someone exits early they must repay the money on a prorated basis, but they don’t ask why people are leaving.
Dixon told the Journal-News going forward he wants exit interviews.
“It’s real simple, it’s always easy to give money away and if you don’t follow through to make sure the money is going where’s allowed to go and having the effect it was designed to have then you don’t know what you’ve got,” he said. “I want to know the outcome; either it’s having an impact or it’s not.”
The second largest cash outlay is $1.4 million for program administration — $153,096 was allocated this year. Commissioner T.C. Rogers asked if they could assume some of the cost and add dollars to more programming.
“I was thinking if you ran that figure down to a million you could put that into infrastructure and neighborhood revitalization, that may keep it at the same level it has been,” he said.
Proposed funding for the infrastructure line item is $568,607 less than before. Fehr said they could do that if they wish — but the program pays for the three community development staffers and all ancillary costs.
Rogers told the Journal-News he was thinking “conceptually” and figured since Fehr’s department does county business as well they could cover some of the cost, but he wasn’t going to push for it.
Dixon said when dealing with federal programs and money it’s best not to co-mingle funding and it’s all taxpayer money anyway, no matter the source.
The biggest increase in the long-range plan is $450,000 for public services such as food pantries and transportation, for a total of $800,000.
“This is an area we surprisingly saw a lot of response to in our survey data,” Fehr said. “We had a lot of folks mentioning that public services have become a higher priority.”
He said there is a litany of HUD-approved programs, everything from child care to financial education and life coaching that are things “we could fund if we choose to.”
The largest awards in the commissioner-approved CDBG and HOME action plan for this year are $328,000 for Neighborhood Housing Services to build two new homes and offer down payment assistance to 28 home buyers — Middletown got $283,845 for 34 down payments — and $237,279 for a New Miami repaving and fire hydrant replacement project.
The county manages the CDBG program for Fairfield and Oxford and their required allotments were $126,350 for Ohio 4 sidewalks and $126,370 for a new playground, respectively.
Hanover, Milford and St. Clair townships received $239,707 collectively for paving and safety equipment. The Serve City Shelter is getting $165,000 for a roof replacement and the Village Food Pantry was allocated $60,400.
Some of the lesser amounts are going for home repairs, eyesore demolition, the Butler County Regional Transit Authority Job Connector Shuttle and a New Miami after school and summer arts program.
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