Change will let some municipalities get funding from county instead of state

The county received an urban county designation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Development Block Grant program.

The county will receive an estimated $720,000 in CDBG funds each year for the next three years, as well as $210,000 a year in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funding.

The total amount will be divided each year among the city of Brunswick; the towns of Emmitsburg, Middletown, Thurmont, Woodsboro and Walkersville; and the villages of Burkittsville and Rosemont.

Vivian Laxton, communications director for the county, said in an interview on Wednesday that the exact amount the county and eight participating jurisdictions will receive each of the next three years is unknown now. The $720,000 figure is an estimate provided by HUD.

She said the amounts will become certain after Congress passes a budget.

Laxton said the amount going to each municipality could change, as well, based on needs and projects.

She said the HUD formula for determining these specifics considers population, poverty rates and housing units.

Each of the eight participating municipalities will apply for funding CDBG-eligible projects through the county.

"That urban county designation allows us to get a committed amount of money every year," Laxton said. "If we were going through the state, we'd have to apply for grants. There's no guarantee, so this gives us a guarantee each year. Not necessarily the same amount, but at least we know we will have some coming in."

Laxton described the state grant program as competitive among counties and municipalities throughout Maryland.

Municipalities often receive no money through the state mechanism, if their applications aren't chosen.

"We won't know for certain how much, but we know we will be getting something," Laxton said of the new approach.

Cindy Stone, director of Community Development Programs for Maryland, said the funds can be used on a wide range of operational needs, infrastructure and other construction projects that benefit low- to moderate-income communities. These can include senior centers, Head Start centers or domestic violence shelters.

The HUD website has a complete list of what makes projects and beneficiaries eligible to receive funding.

Stone said that within the last year, the state-level CDBG mechanism provided:

* $552,500 to replace water lines and improve other safety issues in Emmitsburg

* $500,000 to renovate a 28-unit senior rental housing development in Woodsboro

* $499,397 to build or replace sidewalks, ramps and other accessibility improvements in Brunswick

"The overall goal is to improve communities," Stone said. "It's benefiting those communities and populations that need it the most."

The city of Frederick already received direct annual CDBG funds from HUD due to being designated an entitlement community.

Rebecca Gramling, grants manager for the CDBG program in the city of Frederick, said the city has been able to allocate funds for projects such as the West All Saints Street Project through Habitat for Humanity. The 12-unit affordable housing project was partially funded by city CDBG funds.

Gramling echoed the sentiment that planning for projects becomes more predictable by receiving funding directly from HUD based on their calculations.

"A larger governing body has access to more resources," she said.