Posted: 3:46 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016

Butler County accepting federal grant applications

By Denise G. Callahan

Staff Writer

BUTLER COUNTY — 

It’s time once again for Butler County communities to apply for Community Development Block Grant funds and HOME grants for projects in the low-to-moderate income areas of the county.

Community Development Manager Desmond Maaytah hasn’t received budget figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, but he is expecting the county will be able to dole out about $1.1 million in CDBG grants and almost $600,000 in HOME funds.

“CDBG and HOME funds go to assist LMI (low-to-moderate income) areas, persons, eliminate slums and blight and assist limited clientele people, such as homeless and disabled in Butler County,” Maaytah said. “The commissioners have assisted thousands of LMI persons in many areas of the county since 1999 with these programs.”

The commissioners will have the final say in which projects get approved for funding and he has sent application packets to 100 organizations in the county that have expressed interest in the past.

“We do this every year , we think we evaluate the projects prudently,” Commissioner T.C. Rogers said. “And like the old phrase says, we want to get the most bang for the buck.”

The funds are to be used in low and moderate income areas, like New Miami, where the commissioners sent $40,000 in CDBG funds to the village so it could install a  http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/1-million-water-tower-in-new-miami-no-longer-sits-/npKrJ/" rel="nofollow - The largest CDBG project this year was for $248,000 for South Main Street road improvements in Lemon Twp. and $200,000 worth of home down payment assistance for Middletown, which is in a consortium with the county for the federal programs.

http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/local/butler-county-awards-federal-grant-money-for-area-/np9JJ/" rel="nofollow -  to help about 100 residents of the Williamsdale subdivision hook up to the new sewer system.

The deadline for applications is Nov. 3 and Maaytah said the commissioners will make their picks sometime in January.