CDBG Introduction The primary objective of Nebraska’s non-entitlement Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is to develop viable communities and counties by providing decent housing, suitable living environments, and expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income (LMI) persons. The Department of Economic Development accomplishes this objective by funding activities authorized under the federal Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, and designed to meet the objectives for the CDBG Community Development category. These particular guidelines concern comprehensive revitalization, public facilities, tourism development and single-family housing. CDBG projects are designed to meet the LMI National Objective. Political Subdivisions (communities/counties) who have been determined by the 2000 US Census to be 51% or greater LMI are eligible applicants for CDBG projects. In the event your community is not designated LMI by the 2000 US Census, there are other opportunities for meeting the National Objective, and are set forth below. Communities who are not designated LMI and who believe their community resident numbers meet the National Objective, may participate in an Income Survey under the Guidance of Surveying Low/Mod Status of CDBG Service Area as defined by the Department of Economic Development. Once LMI status has been determined by income survey, the community may use this eligibility status for a three (3) year period. Targeted areas within a community may be determined LMI for qualification of a street or infrastructure project. Neighborhood residents must participate in an Income Survey as defined by the Guidance method by DED to determine LMI status. There are two classes of individuals that are categorically considered LMI; those being senior citizens and those disabled. Therefore in the instance of a senior center, the project would meet the National Objective as seniors are categorically considered LMI. Showing a high need is a priority for high scoring in the application process. All applications are presented in a competitive basis, there is no guarantee of funding.
CDBG PLANNING PROJECTS Eligible planning projects consist of environmental needs assessments, citizen participation, downtown revitalization, fiscal management, and nuisance abatement. Analyses of impediments and barriers to fair housing choice, and neighborhood / comprehensive/ strategic development plans. Functional or specific studies for housing, infrastructure, community economic development, land and use/regulatory measurers. Main street improvement district, downtown revitalization, energy conservation and
transportation. Environmental, heritage tourism, historic preservation studies, preengineering studies for publicly owned water/wastewater projects. WCNDD has assisted with Comprehensive Planning Projects such at Comprehensive Plans, Planning and Zoning Subdivision Regulations, and Blight and Substandard Studies. Other Planning studies have included Housing Market Studies, Section 504 ADA Accessibility Studies, Nuisance Abatement, Wellhead Protection, pre-engineering for publicly owned Water/Waste Water Studies, Community Strategic Planning, and Local Option Sales Tax and LB840 planning. The maximum amount of CDBG funds eligible for Planning Grants is $30,000. All planning activities require a minimum 25% match of the total project activity costs (excluding general administration). There are three (3) planning application cycles with the first deadline April 14, 2009. The second cycle deadline is October 30, 2009 and the third being during the open cycle deadline beginning January 11, 2010. If your community has interest in a planning project, please contact our staff to discuss the possibilities and the time lines involved in a planning grant.
CDBG PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS Eligible planning projects consist of community centers, nonprofit centers for day care, primary health and mental health clinics, remodel shelter facilities for the homeless, accredited public libraries, five and/or rescue buildings-including fire trucks, removal of architectural barriers from city/village halls or county courthouses for accessibility, parks, water distribution and/or sewer collection, street, curb, gutter, sidewalk, or storm sewer, flood control and drainage, and tornado-safe shelters in manufactured home parks. In the Water Wastewater priority, funds are awarded to publicly-owned systems for preliminary engineering reports, final engineering design, water source, treatment, storage, distribution, sanitary sewer treatment or collection. WCNDD has assisted with Senior and Community Centers, firehouses and fire trucks, street projects, and water/waste water projects. The maximum amount of CDBG funds eligible for Public Works Grants is $350,000. All planning activities require a minimum 25% match of the total project activity costs (excluding general administration). There are two (2) public works application cycles with the first deadline April 14, 2009, and a second cycle, if funds are available, announced in the fall.
If your community has interest in a public works project, please contact our staff to discuss the possibilities and the time lines involved in a public works grant.
CDBG WATER/WASTE WATER This program is available to communities in need of new water source or waste water facilities. This program is more diverse in that communities are asked to apply through the WWAC (Water/Waste Water Advisory Committee), comprised of the Department of Economic Development, United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA-RD), and Nebraska Health and Human Services. The WWAC committee determines from what funding sources application will be made for the project. The maximum funding available through CDBG funding for use towards this type of project is $350,000. This activity requires a minimum 25% match of the total project activity costs (excluding general administration). The priority of need of this project is published in the Nebraska State Revolving Fund Intended use Plan for 2008. WCNDD can provide you information on where you are located on the project priority planning list. The open cycle for these types of project being May 1, 2009. If your community has interest in a water/waste water project, please contact our staff to discuss the possibilities and the time lines involved in water/waste water grant.
CDBG COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMPREHENSIVE REVITALIATION The state CDBG objective of the Comprehensive Revitalization Category is to provide flexible investments in housing and infrastructure to carry out a comprehensive strategy of revitalization to stabilize and enhance clearly defined residential neighborhoods with concentration of persons with lower incomes. DED has made conditional guaranteed grant awards in 2009,2010 and 2011 under the Comprehensive Revitalization Category for eight non-entitlement political subdivisions with population between 20,000 and 49,999.
CDBG DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION
The state CDBG objective of the Downtown Revitalization Category is to provide for the investments in Nebraska Communities that will contribute to the revitalization or redevelopment of downtown infrastructure, health and safety concerns, and develop a greater capacity for growth. This provides a sound basis for fostering local economic development. This recognizes the importance of the condition and viability of a downtown to increase the community’s tax base and create a center for community activity which is directly related to business expansion and location decisions. Activities will assist communities to carry out a comprehensive downtown revitalization plan to stabilize and enhance clearly defined downtown areas that will provide a benefit to low/moderate income residents of the community or aid in the elimination of substandard or blighted structures and areas in the downtown. DED will award CDBG grants under the Downtown Revitalization Category to four eligible local governments to carry out planning and downtown revitalization projects that meet required national and state CDBG objectives. Eligible communities are incorporated municipalities with populations of 20,000 and under, has been designated as an Economic Development Certified Community, and the community has adopted a comprehensive plan, zoning and subdivision ordinances, building codes, code enforcement, and a building permit process. Applicants meeting the required thresholds for eligibility and review may submit at preapplication (letter of intent) by March 19, 2009. If your community can meet the application thresholds and has interest in a downtown revitalization project, please contact our staff to discuss the possibilities and the time lines involved in a downtown revitalization grant. CDBG TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES This program is available to an applicant or the project sponsor who must demonstrate that a project is or will be a tourism attraction. Tourism attractions (for profit or nonprofit, public or private) are sites that are expected to annually draw 2,500 or more visits from origins of at last 100 miles away. Funds are awarded for historic restorations, scientific and educational interpretive educations sites and facilities such as museums, participatory sports facilities, convention centers, cultural and heritage recreational sites and facilities, and supporting activities that include removal of material and architectural barriers that restrict the mobility and accessibility to sites for elderly and severely disabled persons in support of eligible tourism attractions. No single project will be awarded more than $200,000 with the minimum amount an applicant may apply for is $25,000. Applications for CDBG Tourism Development are accepted and awarded on an open cycle. Tourism Development applications will be accepted beginning May 9, 2009.
If your community can meet the application thresholds and has interest in a tourism project, please contact our staff to discuss the possibilities and the time lines involved in a tourism grant.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The objective of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for the CDBG Economic Development (ED) category is to assist businesses which expand the state’s economic base and which create quality jobs principally benefiting employees in the lowto-moderate income levels. Eligible applicants include every Nebraska incorporated municipality under 50,000 population as well as every Nebraska County. Not all businesses are eligible to be benefited under the ED program. To be eligible the business must meet the definitional criteria to be a ‘qualified business” as the terms ids defined in the Nebraska Advantage Act, as that Act exists at the time an eligibility determination is made under these guidelines. The maximum amount of award is $500,000 which is further limited by a $250,000 maximum for job training and $250,000 for speculative building projects. All CDBG ED category projects require a minimum 1 to 1 match with funds from other (non-CDBG) sources. CDBG funds can be no more than 50% of the total project cost. The ED application cycle is an open cycle. If your community can meet the application thresholds and has interest in an ED project, please contact our staff to discuss the possibilities and the time lines involved in an ED grant.
NAHF /TRUST FUND/ CDBG HOUSING PROJECTS Eligible housing projects included homebuyer assistance (down payment and closing cost assistance), owner-occupied rehabilitation projects, purchase/rehab/resale and disaster relief. Under the housing program umbrella, funding sources for various housing projects include but are not limited to CDBG funding, Trust Funds as well as other partnership opportunities for funding through the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority. WCNDD has assisted with owner-occupied housing rehabilitation projects and down payment/ closing cost assistance projects in the region and is currently administering a homebuyer assistance project for a 50 mile radius of Ogallala as well as will be administering owner-occupied rehabilitation projects after the first of the year in
Gothenburg and Ogallala. Once the owner-occupied rehab programs have been announced, applications will be available on line. The amount of owner-occupied funding is determined upon what type of project is planned and the amount of rehab or homebuyer direct assistance per unit will be provided. The down payment and closing cost assistance program is provided to firsttime homebuyers that need assistance with closing costs or a portion of their down payment. In both instances these programs are provide to income eligible persons, as set forth by the HUD income guidelines for the particular county. The purchase/rehab/resale program provides assistance for the purchase and rehab of a home, and the sale to an income qualified applicant. This will help with the revitalization of vacant dwellings in order to make them safe, sanitary and affordable in communities where additional housing stock is needed. There is one formal application cycle per year; the pre-application deadline is February 27, 2009, with the final application due May 4, 2009. If there is available funding, a second cycle application deadline date will be determined. WCNDD has administered Disaster Relief Assistance to seven (7) designated disaster counties within the District this past year. This project is nearly finished with completion in the Spring of 2009. This project consisted of a maximum $7500 to assist homeowners with flood related problems such as new furnaces, hot water heaters, and basement drywall as a result of the rains in the Spring of 2008. The Tax Credit Set –aside program application deadline is scheduled for November 2009. This program is designed for assistance of low-income rental housing projects partnered with other funding. If your community has interest in a particular housing project, please contact our staff to discuss the possibilities and the time lines involved in a housing grant.