Comments on: Ensuring a Timely Economic Stimulus: The Benchmark of CDBG Expenditures http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/2009/02/02/ensuring-a-timely-economic-stimulus-the-benchmark-of-cdbg-expenditures/ The Cohen Report is on the intersection of nonprofits, politics, and public policy. It is written by NPQ's National Correspondent, Rick Cohen, and published by the Nonprofit Quarterly. Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:44:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Rick Cohen http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/2009/02/02/ensuring-a-timely-economic-stimulus-the-benchmark-of-cdbg-expenditures/comment-page-1/#comment-7389 Rick Cohen Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:33:22 +0000 http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/?p=354#comment-7389 Dear Stan: I generally find myself going to the HUD website itself for the CDBG annual reports that HUD files with Congress. The problem, however, is that you have to try to figure out what what slice of the CDBG appropriation was diverted out of the formula allocations into earmarked grants. CDBG has had a difficult history of large chunks going out as earmarks. If there are other sources that might follow some of this, they might be the Council of State Community Development Agencies (COSCDA), the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and some of the other national associations of essentially municipal or state agencies that live off of CDBG. The admin set aside as well as the public services set aside have had their share of criticism over time. Remember that in addition to the specific admin cut, there are usually admin lines in the specific CDBG-funded programs of most municipalities and states. When I ran CDBG for Jersey City a couple of decades ago, it roiled me to see how much "hidden" admin there was in the various line items in the city's CDBG budget. It's not that I'm critical of admin, you need admin to make programs work, but the admin should be transparent, people should know who's getting it and how. Good luck with your investigations. Thanks for your comments. Dear Stan: I generally find myself going to the HUD website itself for the CDBG annual reports that HUD files with Congress. The problem, however, is that you have to try to figure out what what slice of the CDBG appropriation was diverted out of the formula allocations into earmarked grants. CDBG has had a difficult history of large chunks going out as earmarks. If there are other sources that might follow some of this, they might be the Council of State Community Development Agencies (COSCDA), the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and some of the other national associations of essentially municipal or state agencies that live off of CDBG. The admin set aside as well as the public services set aside have had their share of criticism over time. Remember that in addition to the specific admin cut, there are usually admin lines in the specific CDBG-funded programs of most municipalities and states. When I ran CDBG for Jersey City a couple of decades ago, it roiled me to see how much “hidden” admin there was in the various line items in the city’s CDBG budget. It’s not that I’m critical of admin, you need admin to make programs work, but the admin should be transparent, people should know who’s getting it and how. Good luck with your investigations. Thanks for your comments.

]]> By: Stan Geddes http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/2009/02/02/ensuring-a-timely-economic-stimulus-the-benchmark-of-cdbg-expenditures/comment-page-1/#comment-7385 Stan Geddes Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:52:37 +0000 http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/?p=354#comment-7385 Hi I would like to add to the previous question and ask if there is a good source for the long term funding history of the CDBG. The administrators of the grant in my city indicate that the funding is in decline but I can not verify to what degree this is the case over the last 30 years. I also wonder if there is much concern out there about the 20% cost of administration. Is is the accepted norm? Thanks Stan Hi
I would like to add to the previous question and ask if there is a good source for the long term funding history of the CDBG. The administrators of the grant in my city indicate that the funding is in decline but I can not verify to what degree this is the case over the last 30 years.
I also wonder if there is much concern out there about the 20% cost of administration. Is is the accepted norm?
Thanks
Stan

]]> By: Sharon Delphenich http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/2009/02/02/ensuring-a-timely-economic-stimulus-the-benchmark-of-cdbg-expenditures/comment-page-1/#comment-1126 Sharon Delphenich Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:04:20 +0000 http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/?p=354#comment-1126 We keep hearing that CDBG is drying up and in fact our allocations from cities we serve has regularly decreased over the past several years. You did not mention this. Is it an accurate statement? We keep hearing that CDBG is drying up and in fact our allocations from cities we serve has regularly decreased over the past several years. You did not mention this. Is it an accurate statement?

]]> By: Rico http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/2009/02/02/ensuring-a-timely-economic-stimulus-the-benchmark-of-cdbg-expenditures/comment-page-1/#comment-1019 Rico Sun, 08 Feb 2009 04:19:22 +0000 http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/?p=354#comment-1019 Billions in CDBG are spent by local governments on public infrastructure (roads, drainage, water and sewer improvement, etc) especially through the 30% of CDBG funding made available through the "states and small cities" program (as opposed to the entitlement program that serves big cities and urban counties). The backlog that exists is partly due to the states' distribution procedures; once a grant is awarded to a local government, procurement, environmental review, acquisition, and other policies can take several months to complete. Engineering design, which is an ineligible expense if completed prior to project funding, takes additional time and can further delay implementation. Even with these delays, in Texas right now more than 600 CDBG project applications (95% are for water or sewer improvements) are pending in the state's program. With sufficient funding, nearly all could be started within 30 days, bid in 90, and completed in 12 months, investing more than $200 million for critical infrastructure in the state's poorest communities. Unfortunately, without any additional funding through stimulus fewer than a third of the projects will receive funding; the rest will have to wait til 2010 or beyond for another shot at funding. Billions in CDBG are spent by local governments on public infrastructure (roads, drainage, water and sewer improvement, etc) especially through the 30% of CDBG funding made available through the “states and small cities” program (as opposed to the entitlement program that serves big cities and urban counties). The backlog that exists is partly due to the states’ distribution procedures; once a grant is awarded to a local government, procurement, environmental review, acquisition, and other policies can take several months to complete. Engineering design, which is an ineligible expense if completed prior to project funding, takes additional time and can further delay implementation.

Even with these delays, in Texas right now more than 600 CDBG project applications (95% are for water or sewer improvements) are pending in the state’s program. With sufficient funding, nearly all could be started within 30 days, bid in 90, and completed in 12 months, investing more than $200 million for critical infrastructure in the state’s poorest communities. Unfortunately, without any additional funding through stimulus fewer than a third of the projects will receive funding; the rest will have to wait til 2010 or beyond for another shot at funding.

]]> By: Imee http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/2009/02/02/ensuring-a-timely-economic-stimulus-the-benchmark-of-cdbg-expenditures/comment-page-1/#comment-953 Imee Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:22:10 +0000 http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/cohenreport/?p=354#comment-953 thanks for the little history lesson. i was always wondering what the role of the cdbg in the economic stimulus was. thanks for the little history lesson. i was always wondering what the role of the cdbg in the economic stimulus was.

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