On May 18, 2026, the Evansville Finance Committee held a meeting to hear from agencies seeking allocations from the city's federal grant programs (CDBG, HOME, ESG). The committee reviewed recommendations from the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and the mayor, and discussed the timeline for final allocations, which will be voted on at the June 8, 2026 City Council meeting. Staff explained a new process that gives council members two weeks to review proposals after the first reading and before the final vote, addressing past concerns about feeling rushed.
And let's call this meeting to order for the finance committee. Can I get a little bit more? Colby, yeah. Just kind of give a overview. Okay, so city council members. Um, if you guys all recall in the past, um, when it comes to allocations for our hood dollars, which is ESG, CDBG, and home, typically we would have every agency that has submitted a proposal come before you all to I guess kind of give their spiel and their reasoning for being allocated funding for that program year's allocations. Um, it was recommended by a few council members in the past that if agencies were, I guess, satisfied with what has been recommended by the CAC and/or the mayor, that they don't be required to come on a mandatory requirement. But um, maybe if they feel like you know their allocate their recommendation is not sufficient and they want to make an ask for more money. So you'll you'll see it a little bit differently this year because obviously it's a it's a lighter audience, which is a good sign. And so unfortunately, we don't know who all I have a list of those that did come today to speak, and so I will um allow. I guess if if uh councilman green, if you want to just call whoever is here up one by one, we can um look at which proposals they may have more than one on the spreadsheet, and they can get their two minutes. I guess they've been allotted in the past to talk to you about their programs and why they're seeking the funding that they are. So that's my my piece. So should I go through the list? Um just having they can come up and tell me who they are. Yeah, okay. So I have one first but first up, St. Vincent DePaul. St. Vincent DePaul. Yeah, it's like a hello. Uh my name's Noah Warner. I'm with Saint Vincent of Paul in Evansville. Um, thank you. He might have the number 12. Okay, let me put it in. Ashley Newell, our director, executive director, spoke to the citizens advisory committee earlier this year, but I um I just stand here. I used to work for outreach ministries. We used to get a grant, a CDBG grant for $20,000, and that numbers kind of it's gone down over time consistently, the recommendation. So I just stand here to uh out of belief in our in the work we do, just kind of a vote for us. The assistance we've done has only increased as things have gotten tougher. We've increased the uh assistance we provide in the community, and uh we invest in the community a lot. I just ask for uh just investment in St. Vincent of Paul because I said we do really good work in the community. Um everybody know what St. Vincent DePaul does, and this position that it helps fund. C D BG does not fund everything that the position does, but lots of uh we also can write grants and uh we've increased the funding we've got to provide financial assistance. So the return on investments I believe is really good for uh what CDBG does for Save and Center Paul. So I appreciate everything. I just like I said I come here because I care what we do, I believe in what we do, and I just ask for your support. Thank you. This is voices, mayor number 24. Yep, 24. Um, ladies and gentlemen of the council, um, thank you for allowing me to be here today um to share with you a little bit about what voices does. I'm Michelle Mata from Voices and the long-term care ombudsman in Vanderburgh County. Voices is here to provide a much-needed voice for our neighbors and loved ones living in local long-term care homes. So that's assisted livings and nursing homes. Voices is the only agency, only only agency in Evansville to provide these services. People are really shocked to learn these folks actually, have many rights, most importantly, the right to be treated with dignity and respect and make choices about their lives that are important to them, just like you or I can where we live. Voices provides a plethora of free and confidential information to our neighbors in long-term care, from providing current information about long-term care homes that is absolutely not easily accessible to consumers, to demanding corrective action from nursing home administrators when resident rights are violated, to representing residents in hearings to prevent their unfair eviction, and residents have been evicted to the homeless shelters.