Council may use $17,000 in CDBG funds for city hall

The Orchard Lake City Council will be mulling whether it should use reprogrammed Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from 2010 and 2011 along with a new allocation for improved accessibility of City Hall facilities, during a public hearing on Monday, Oct. 17.

“The work would include installing automatic opening doors via a push button, as well as new doors and mitigating a water issue in the lobby,” said City Service Director Gerry McCallum.

The CDBG program provides funds to benefit low- and moderate-income residents to renovate older housing, revitalize neighborhoods, provide human services, and rebuild community infrastructure. Projects beneficial to an individual or family are judged based on income, and projects beneficial to the community in general may only occur in census tracts which meet federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) criteria for low- and moderate-income areas.

Since no portion of the city qualifies under the federal definition of low- or moderate-income, the city uses its CDBG funds for programs and projects that target those with a “presumed benefit” — senior citizens, disabled individuals, and disadvantaged individuals.

The front entrance to City Hall meets the CDBG requirements for accessibility improvements of public buildings. McCallum said the reprogramming of $11,200 in rollover funds together with the $5,000 allocation for 2012 could accomplish the projects.

In the past funds have been used to support the Greater Bloomfield Senior Association (GBSA). While GBSA provides many services to senior citizens, the number of Orchard Lake residents taking advantage of the services is low.

“There has been either little or no participation for the last two years,” McCallum said. “Besides, the monies can no longer be used for administrative fees.”