Finance Committee: CDBG, HOME & ESG Funding Allocations Review (May 18, 2026)
Finance Committee Meeting: CDBG, HOME & ESG Funding Allocations Review
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.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Noah Warner, St. Vincent DePaul – Spoke in support of continued CDBG funding, noting that the agency's assistance has increased as economic conditions have worsened. He highlighted the strong return on investment from CDBG funds and asked for the council's support. (Proposal number 12)
- Michelle Mata, Voices Long-Term Care Ombudsman – Explained that Voices is the only agency in Evansville providing advocacy for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. She expressed concern that their funding was reduced from $18,000 to $13,000 in the prior year, possibly due to a misunderstanding about duplication of services, which she clarified does not exist. She requested additional funding if available. (Proposal number 24)
- Memorial CDC Representative – Thanked the council for continued support and described how CDBG funds support summer youth programs (May 28–June 8, serving over 100 children daily), a youth employment program helping low- to moderate-income families, and the emergency home repair program in partnership with the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. (Proposals 53–60)
Discussion Items
- Colby (DMD Staff) presented the overview of this year's allocation process. He explained that agencies satisfied with their recommended amounts were not required to attend, resulting in a lighter audience—a sign most agencies were content.
- Councilman Green facilitated the public comment period, allowing each agency representative two minutes to speak.
- Staff clarified funding rules:
- For CDBG, the minimum allocation is $10,000 (anything less is not worth administrative cost).
- There is a 15% cap on public service activities (proposals 10–34); shifting funds must stay within the public service category or within non-public service categories, but cannot move between the two.
- Timeline review: The 2026 grant cycle began with training in summer 2025, followed by proposal submission, CAC recommendations (early 2026), mayor's recommendations (March/April), and now council review. The first reading occurred May 11; final allocations will be voted on at the June 8 City Council meeting.
- Councilwoman Taylor praised the department for proactively reaching out to nonprofits that may be unaware of the funding opportunity, and staff noted they are creating a postcard to send to nonprofits that have not previously applied.
- Question about unspent funds: Staff confirmed that unspent funds are sometimes repurposed and brought before council via a finance ordinance.
Key Outcomes
- No votes were taken; the meeting was informational and allowed council members to hear from a subset of funding applicants.
- The council was reminded that they have until June 8, 2026, to review proposals and direct any questions to Colby or staff.
- Final allocations will be determined at the June 8 City Council meeting (second and final reading).
Meeting Transcript
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.
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