allocation – The B Square

At its Wednesday meeting, Bloomington’s city council approved an annual resolution that authorizes allocations from the Community Development Block Grant program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

This year, the total estimated grant amount is $855,868, with $556,314 going to physical improvements $128,320 going to social services and $171,173 going to administrative costs.

The city works with estimates based on the previous year’s actual funding through the CDBG program.

HUD sets percentage maximums for social services (15 percent) and administration (20 percent). The amounts this year reflect Bloomington’s typical practice, which is to max out both of those categories.
Continue reading “$856K in federal funds allocated by Bloomington city council” →

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Screenshot of Aug. 31, 2020 meeting of the Monroe County council.

Monroe County councilors voted 7–0 Monday night in favor of a resolution supporting the direct allocation of about $353,700 in public safety local income tax (PS-LIT) revenues to four rural fire departments in the county.

The county council took the vote as a member of the tax council, which includes two other governing bodies in the county—the Bloomington city council and the Ellettsville town council.

Monday night’s vote will not have an impact on how the roughly $7.8 million in PS-LIT revenues will be allocated.

That’s because a seven-member PS-LIT committee of the tax council had already voted 5–2 to recommend no allocation of direct funding to the rural fire departments. Also, the statutory deadline for the tax council to make the direct allocation for the funding of rural fire departments is Aug. 31.

Acknowledging the futility of Monday’s vote, president of the county council Eric Spoonmore said, “A lot of people would probably say: Well, why are you all even having this meeting? The city council is already made the decision. It doesn’t make any sense. And it’s pointless.”

Spoonmore’s answer: “Well, to me, there is a point to all of this, and it’s to show my support. And this is our last final opportunity to do that. And I’m very happy to do so.”

On the PS-LIT committee, it was the votes of four Bloomington city councilmembers, plus one from an Ellettsville town councilor, that blocked the recommendation for the same kind of funding for rural fire departments that had been forthcoming in the last couple of years.

The departure from the prevailing custom was lamented on Monday night by county council president Eric Spoonmore. A big part of what had persuaded him to vote in favor of the PS-LIT increase in 2016 was knowing that the rural fire departments would benefit, Spoonmore said.

Spoonmore called the PS-LIT committee’s decision “disappointing to say the least,” but hoped this year’s allocation would be just a “temporary situation.”

Given his expectations connected to his 2016 support of the tax increase, and the lack of allocation this year, Spoonmore added, “It makes me feel almost a little hoodwinked…”

Continue reading “Monroe County councilors take unanimous, futile vote to support rural fire departments” →