2 26 03 MVM Budget MemoMEMORANDUM
February 26, 2003
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Correction to February 26 Budget Meeting
On February 24 I forwarded the materials for the February 26 Budget hearing. Included
in those items were a December 23, 2002 letter from the Historic Preservation
Commission and my response of December 26, 2002. Mistakenly excluded from the
packet was a revised letter from the Historic Preservation Commission dated
February 20, 2003. /~// ~L,4d /~~
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Planning ~-vices Department
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
D~buque, Iowa 520~-4~64
(5(:,3) 589-4~23.0 office
(563) 589-4221 fax
planning~cityofdubuque.org
03 FEB I
City C:ic:i'.';:'. O [ice
DubL,,'qu,!,., lA
February 20, 2003
The Honorable Mayor and City Council
City of Dubuque
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
RE: Request for $20,000 for the Historic Preservation Homeowner Grant Program
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
The Historic Preservation Commission supports the programs that the City of Dubuque
provides with CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds from the federal
government to benefit Iow and moderate income households.
The Commission also applauds the City Council's vision for our community:
Dubuque is a city of history, beauty, opportunities, and excitement.
Dubuque: A Masterpiece on the Mississippi.
The Historic Preservation Homeowner Grant Program supports this vision. The
program aisc addresses the goals and objectives of the CDBG program, including:
Retention of affordable housing stock.
Increasing the availability of safe, affordable, permanent housing for Iow and
moderate-income families.
Restoring and preserving properties of special historic, architectural and
aesthetic value.
The Historic Preservation Commission respectfully requests maintaining the annual
allocation of $20,000 in CDBG funds for this program. We continue to see active interest in
this program by Iow and moderate homeowners in our historic districts. In fact, many of
program recipients to date 'have been low income households, earning less than 50% of
area median income.
A $10,000 allocation in FY04 will provide funds for only two households. We expect that
the past level of interest will continue in FY04, and that such a small allocation will create a
FY04 CDBG Allocation
February 20.2003
Page 2
waiting list or will delay much needed rehabilitation.
In the FY04 CDBG budget, we noted an overall increase in funding for Housing
Development Programs. We also found that the Historic Preservation Homeowner Grant
Program had the largest percent decline of any housing program: a 50% decrease.
We believe that reducing the program now, when it is succeeding, is not appropriate. We
strongly feel that the program should be maintained at its annual allocation of $20,000.
We res pectfully request maintaining the annual allocation of $20.000 in CDBG funds for
the Historic Preservation Homeowner Grant Program ,n the FY04 CDBG budget.
Historic Preservation Commission
MEMORANDUM
February 24, 2003
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
February 26 Budget Meeting
Enclosed are materials for review prior to the February 26 budget meeting.
The first item is a February 17, 2003 memorandum from Housing and Community
Development Department Director David Harris for the public hearing being held on the
Annual Action Plan. This includes the Community Development Advisory Commission
recommendation and the City Manager's recommendation, which has proposed
revisions from the CDBG Advisory Commission recommendation.
The second item is a December 23, 2002 letter from Historic Preservation Chairperson
Christopher Wand asking that $20,000 be allocated for the Historic Preservation
Homeowner Grant Program, instead of $10,000, as recommended by the CDBG
Advisory Commission and the City Manager.
The third item is my December 26, 2002 memorandum responding to the HPC request.
The final item in the packet is a memorandum dated December 12, 2002 from Housing
and Community Development Department Director David Harris on the
remodeling/expansion plans at the 18th Street office facility.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Pauline Joyce, Administrative Services Manager
David Hards, Housing & Community Development Department Director