City Council meets Monday to approve final block grants

At Monday’s 6:30 p.m. meeting, the City Council is set to finalize a $2.16M federal block grant budget for 2023-24.

For perspective, during President Clinton’s final year at the millennium, this sum reached $6 million ($11M adjusted to inflation). Democrats have had their share of 21st century power, but they have downplayed the block grants. When the pandemic struck, urban aid efforts did not boost CDBG. Instead, the Biden Administration pushed a special one-time outlay for ARPA, the American Rescue Plan Act, including  a $52 million windfall for Saginaw, a total equal to two decades of block grants. Most of that sum is going for general budget balancing, infrastructure, housing, youth programs and a new county health center. Meanwhile, the block grant budget in some outlays will show some CDBG/ARPA overlap.

Following is the unedited final block grant budget, on Monday’s agenda, that the council first approved in February, basically following amounts recommended by the advisory Human Planning Commission. For reasons never outlined, the Council bypassed the commission on ARPA and formed a separate advisory group instead. To apply for an HPC seat, city residents may contact the City Clerk’s Office, (989) 399-1311.

The summary is compiled by Block Grant Specialist Leticia Trevino.

There are eighteen agreements and six memorandums of understanding (MOU) for housing, economic development, public improvements, and public service activities to be carried out under the City’s 49th year of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The following information outlines the scope of activity and funding level for each project under agreement with the City:

1. Saginaw Economic Development Corp., $172,209. This activity is operated by the Saginaw Economic Development Corporation. It provides funds to make business loans to credit worthy entrepreneurs and firms that wish to start or expand businesses in the targeted areas. Each business loan is based on the number of jobs to be created and made available to low and moderate-income residents in the City. The budget is comprised of entitlement funds, loan repayments, and carryover funds.
2. Downtown Development Authority, $42,000. This activity is operated by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). These funds will be utilized by the DDA in their efforts to redevelop properties and recruit businesses to Downtown Saginaw.
3. Saginaw Habitat for Humanity Housing Counseling, $9,445. This activity is operated by Habitat for Humanity in the City of Saginaw. It provides for housing counseling to homeowners. This service is provided to households with income that fall between 30-60% of the area median income for the number of members in their household.
4. Saginaw Habitat for Humanity-Home Maintenance Self Help, $14,000. This activity is operated by Habitat for Humanity in the City of Saginaw. It provides for home maintenance classes for basic plumbing, electrical, interior and exterior repairs. This service is provided to households with income that fall between 30-60% of the area median income for the number of members in their household.
5. Youth Protective Services-Innerlink, $16,000. This activity is operated by the Saginaw County Youth Protection Council. The program seeks to provide intensive long-term social casework intervention for 20 low to moderate-income families whose personal problems have led to degeneration of the family unit.
6. Youth Protective Services Teen Parent Support, $16,000. This activity is operated by the Saginaw County Youth Protection Council. The program seeks to provide assistance directed toward high-risk pregnant and parenting females under the age of 21. Teen Parent Support works to reduce infant mortality and child abuse, delay subsequent pregnancies, and help young mothers work toward self-sufficiency. This activity will serve 55 clients eligible to be assisted with CDBG funds.
7. First Ward LACER, $25,527. This activity is sponsored by First Ward Community Services. The purpose of this program is to implement Literacy Arts Cultural Enrichment and Recreation (LACER) Program. It is an after-school and summer program whose goal is to enhance and expand the number and variety of programs serving youth in the K12th grades and increasing the number of youth who do not have access to positive opportunities in safe environments in the City of Saginaw.
8. First Ward H.I.R.E., $18,840. This activity is sponsored by First Ward Community Services. The H.I.R.E. program stands for Helping Individuals Retain Employment. The program is focused on preparing people that are in need with the skills and abilities to be marketable in the workplace and to find jobs. The program targets youth and will provide a positive environment and learning opportunities in a safe environment.  
9. First Ward Community Senior Center, $10,000. The Senior Citizens Center provides a place for Seniors to have a nutritious meal and socialize with their peers in a safe and friendly environment.
10. Hearts for the Community-Summer Youth Program, $12,000. Provides a Summer Youth Program for youth in the community and ensures that nutritional lunches and daily activities are provided in a safe, healthy environment in the community.
11. Hearts for the Community-After School Program, $12,000. Provides an After School Program for youth in the community and ensures that nutritional lunches and daily activities are provided in a safe, healthy environment in the community.
12. Legal Services of Eastern Michigan-Testing and Education, $10,012. This activity will support Fair Housing Education and Testing which is required by HUD.
13. YMCA, $20,000. The funding will be used to fund the Y-Senior Connect Program. The program is operated on a bimonthly basis for the senior citizens in our community.
14. Gideon Corporation USA, $20,000. The allocation is being used for the Gideon Youth Boxing Club Program. This program provides a safe space to learn and train in the sport of boxing.
15. Saginaw County Community Action Committee Front Porch Program, $25,000. This activity will offer minor porch repairs, paint, plant flowers and landscaping to the front of residences in the City that are in eligible low-income areas of the community. 
16. Saginaw County Community Action Committee Minor Home Repairs Program, $90,414. This activity will offer an array of repairs to homes that have architectural barriers that restrict mobility, accessibility, safety and code violations for eligible low income homeowners.
17. Daniel’s Den Ministries After School and Summer Academics Program, $25,000. This newly funded activity is year-round after school and during summer break. They seek to serve approximately 100 K-8 students attending school in the City. It also seeks to expand its outreach to the families as a whole that they serve to enrich and improve learning in a safe, secure and supportive environment.
18. Saginaw Housing Commission–Elmwood Manor Elevator Replacement, 146,253. The funds will be used to replace two of the existing elevator cabs in Elmwood Manor. Many of the controls and computer boards are obsolete or no longer in production.

The following information outlines the scope of activity and funding level for each project under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with City departments outside of the Community Development Block Grant Division:

1. Street Improvements, $300,000. Funding was provided for this project in the same amount as last year. This activity is under the City of Saginaw’s Department of Public Services. The purpose of the program is to resurface streets, replace deteriorated pavement sections, adjust manhole structures, and construct ADA compliant sidewalk ramps within CDBG-eligible neighborhoods.
2. ADA Ramps, $50,000. Funding was provided for this project in the same amount as last year. This activity is under the City of Saginaw’s Department of Public Services. The purpose of the program is to construct ADA compliant sidewalk ramps within CDBG-eligible neighborhoods.
3. Community Policing, $115,177. This activity is under the City of Saginaw’s Police Department. The purpose of this program is to continue to fund three (3) Community Police Officers (CPOs) in designated CDBG-eligible neighborhoods. The CPOs have developed close relationships with the residents, business owners/employees and other stakeholders within their assigned neighborhoods. These relationships have resulted in an improved quality of life for the residents.
4. Demolition of Dangerous Buildings, $328,619. This activity is administered under the City of Saginaw’s Inspections Division. The purpose of the program is to reduce the presence of blighted, vacant, unsafe structures within the City of Saginaw.
5. Rehabilitation Program, $254,553. This program provides home repairs to residents in the City that own their homes and reside in a low to moderately low-income area.
6. Specification Writing Program, $131,234. Code Enforcement Officers write specifications and provide oversite of the construction projects through the entire process for the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Programs.