Cuyahoga Falls City Council holds regular meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Council committee meetings are held on the first and third Mondays in order to allow councilmembers to publicly discuss pending legislation that will be voted on at regular meetings. The public is free to comment on pending legislation during the allowed time set aside as part of committee meetings.
Community Development
Legislation scheduled for discussion:
Temp. Ord. A-56: An ordinance approving the 2024-2028 Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plan Document.
Temp. Ord. A-57: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute and submit the Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for program year 2024.
According to Community Development Chair Joe Siegferth, both pieces of legislation work in concert with one another so they were presented and discussed together. Community Development Block Grant Administrator Peggy Szalay said the allocation the city received for 2024 was $5683,682 and gave a breakdown of the five categories the funds are distributed within the city.
>Program Compliance (20% cap)— $136,000 This activity includes costs required to carry out the action plan for program year 2023, including but not limited to wages and benefits, supplies, training and education, and professional memberships.
> Public Service (15% cap)— $80,000
The city partners with local organizations to assist people throughout the city as follows:
- Fair Housing Activities – $15,000
- Food Pantry Program- $10,000
- Mature Services Program – $5,000
- Literacy Programs – $8,500
- Senior Snow Program – $15,000 (Unused portions may be reallocated for other programs)
- HMIS Homeless Management System – $5,000
- STEM Learning Program – $5,882
- Other Public Services TBD – $15,618
> Housing Program— $38,000
This program includes rehabilitation work on owner-occupied homes of income-qualified individuals. Three homes were rehabilitated in the 2023 program. There are also yearly audits to make sure the homes are still owner-occupied.
> Economic Development— $428,946
We allocate these funds primarily to assist businesses, both large and small, create and/or retain jobs for low-to-moderate income individuals. This category is what is used to fund Matching Equipment and Façade grants ($428k allocated) and Working Capital Low Interest Loans ($118k). In 2023 there were 25 businesses assisted in the city in 2023.
>Public Facilities and Improvements
This category includes infrastructure improvements, neighborhood facilities improvements, improvements to facilities for persons with special needs, ADA improvements, and architectural design features such as public art.
In 2022 and 2023 these funds were used to work with our parks department to construct pickleball courts, accessible playground equipment, accessible seating at the amphitheater, ADA locker room equipment at the Natatorium, and pool wheelchair lifts; also at the Natatorium, an ADA restroom with outdoor access at The Quirk Center as well as other accessibility projects. The long-term plan to allocate funds this year and into the future to continue making public facilities accessible to all residents.
The Community Development committee voted to bring both of these measures out for a vote before council June 24.
If you wish to learn more about the city’s CDBG program you can look at the department website.
