March 20, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SATURDAY BUDGET MEETING TO FOCUS ON POLICE, EUD
DECATUR - Presentations by the Decatur Police Department and the City’s Department of Economic and Urban Development will be the focus of tomorrow’s Decatur City Council budget meeting to be held at 8 a.m. in the City Council chamber of the Decatur Civic Center.
The Department of Economic and Urban Development is proposing the allocation of almost $6 million on programs and services related to neighborhoods, a number which does not include other city expenditures (road repair, police, fire, infrastructure, etc.) for this all important city council goal.
Additional EUD funding has been re-allocated for programs for owner occupied structures this year, a change made based on requests from our Annual Action Plan meetings and the seven council-led neighborhood forums last year. It was during those meetings that many people expressed a desire to have more funding available for homes that were owner occupied.
We listened.
As you know, the annual CDBG and HOME allocations from the federal government are used to fund many of our neighborhood programs for residents meeting certain income guidelines, an allocation that in past years has been about $2 million dollars (the rest of the funding listed on the spreadsheet has been reallocated from programs which were less successful in previous years).
A list of some of the neighborhood-related items of interest or projects for which we are proposing to expend funding includes:
- Residential Rehabilitation Program ($843,281, up from $232,607 last year) – This program will be used to improve existing housing conditions for owner occupied structures.
- Neighborhood Outreach Division/Neighborhood Inspections ($245,145) — The City has organized a new division — the Neighborhood Outreach Division — which has the specific purpose of advocating for and addressing neighborhood needs and serving as a direct point of contact for neighborhoods.
- Energy Conservation ($266,078) — Program provides insulation, windows, water heaters, siding, insulated doors and windows for residents of low to moderate income levels.
- Regional Neighborhood Network Conference ($65,000) — The city council has allocated $65,000 to fund this year’s Regional Neighborhood Network Conference, to be held in Decatur in Sept. and which will draw people from all over the Midwest. The conference gives neighborhood and government representatives a chance to interact and discuss issues related specifically to neighborhoods while coming up with solutions to problems neighborhoods across the country face.
A spreadsheet detailing proposed spending is attached. Plans are for the police department to focus on department accomplishments in the last year and areas of focus for the coming year.
For more information contact Billy Tyus at 424-2753.