Proposed Changes to Community Development Block Grant Program Reviewed in Henry County

Lorenzo Zamora, representing the Maumee Valley Planning Organization, briefed Henry County commissioners on proposed changes to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The program is shifting from nine different programs to three moving forward. The first program is an infrastructure grant, which combines critical and residential public infrastructure grants for a total statewide award of $20 million.

The proposed changes restructure how counties receive state funding for infrastructure and economic development. While the infrastructure grant increased from $500,000 to $1 million per project, Zamora noted that counties may have fewer than three application spots annually due to the money being spread across more regions.