CDBG 2011 Action Plan-Comment Period til 7/15/2011

I sent the following email to Peter Parkin, Department Head Community Development, with the City of Deerfield Beach.  The comment period for the City of Deerfield Beach CDBG 2011 Action Plan has begun and will run up until July 15, 2011.  


Everyone is encouraged to read the proposed plan and make their own determination and email their comments to PParkin@deerfield-beach.com regarding this plan.




To: Peter Parkin


My comment for the CDBG Action Plan is the City indicated that funding from the 10% Utility tax would be used to accomplish the City's goal of infrastructure improvements and road resurfacing.

I know that CDBG funds can be used for street resurfacing and certain infrastructure improvements, however, when the City has a waiting list of individuals looking to apply for these funds to make necessary improvements that they would not be able to make without the financial assistance that these funds provide and these same individuals will have to pay the 10% Utility Tax imposed on the residents because the City said it needed the revenue to make infrastructure improvements.  

Yet, the City just approved a re-programming of $200,000 of CDBG 2010 funds for street resurfacing, taking away $150,000 from the Home rehab program, which could have been used to make improvements to the homes of qualified low/moderate income applicants.  

So, why is the City now applying another $50,000 from these funds that were intended on assisting low/moderate income peoples make  seriously needed home improvements that they could not afford without these funds, to street improvements when they told the residents that infrastructure improvements such as street resurfacing would come from the Utility tax revenue?

I do not think that any funds should be allocated from CDBG funding to make infrastructure improvements.  The City has burdened the low-moderate income residents with the imposition of this utility tax and now the City wants to make less funds available for these same individuals to make needed home improvements.

I am totally against this portion of the Action Plan.  

Also, I know that many people applied for SHIP funding to make improvements on their homes, which per your office was unfunded this year and the funds available were already allocated out to qualified applicants.  The individuals who apply for SHIP, who also may meet the qualifications for CDBG funding to make their home improvements, should be made aware of the availability of CDBG Home rehab program, if they are not already.  Either way, with so many low-moderate income people looking to make home improvements it woudl best serve the community to keep as much funds available for this purpose, especially since SHIP was not funded.

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