Since 1974, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has used Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to provide communities with resources to meet a variety of needs.
On Monday, during the regular meeting of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, East Lowndes Water Association general manager Grant Mitchell approached the board with what, until now, had been a typical request for a CDBG project — a CDBG grant that will provide water services to about a dozen homes in the southeast part of the county where private wells are failing.
Under the plan, the water association would use its own private grant money — $40,000 as matching funds for the CDBG grant for a project whose cost is estimated to be about $170,000.
Since only municipalities and counties can apply for grants, ELWA needs the county to apply for the grant.
But a small grant needed to fund a much-needed program has hit a major snag with a change in policy implemented this year.
Under the new CDBG regulations from HUD, counties or cities must own the infrastructure and land where those projects are located. In this case, said Mitchell, the county would find itself running its own water system just to provide a dozen homes with water.
“The point is, under these new rules, the county will maintain ownership of the CDBG-funded infrastructure for a period of not less than five years from the project close-out,” Mitchell said. “That is in direct conflict with two of our policies. One is that we don’t service any property we don’t own. The second is, some of the low-income residences need lines that extend to their houses, which gets into plumbing. We can’t maintain peoples’ private property no more than the county can maintain private roads.
“Under these rules, the county would have to run its own water system because we could not service it,” he added.
George Crawford, project analyst for the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, said he went to Jackson to talk to the state officials who administer the CDBG grants.
“I thought, at first, we would be able to alter it or find a way to make this happen,” Crawford said. “I spent an hour with them, but they said no. They seem to think this has to be in there to meet HUD regulations.”
Mitchell said he didn’t understand the need for the change.
“It appears (HUD) is trying to make it harder to fund some of these types of project,” he said. “We do work well with the county and we want to do this one.”
At the suggestion of District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, the board approved a resolution asking for the state administrators to waive the new rule change. Brooks also said that the matter could be presented again next year when public hearings are held on the CDBG grants.
District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith, whose district includes the affected area, said the people there need help now.
“Some of them are buying bottled water,” Smith said. “Some go to a relative’s house to wash clothes. People are saying they’re afraid to use the water because it’s discolored. Some say their water pressure has fallen dramatically as the water table feeding their old wells declines.
“I understand that there is due process that has to be followed,” Smith said. “But these people need water. They can’t wait another year. We have to find a solution.”
Smith said one solution might be for the ELWA board to approve leasing the infrastructure from the county until the five-year county ownership expires. A lease could include language that gives the water association the maintenance rights.
Mitchell said another suggestion — that ELWA simply fund the entire project — was something his board would not approve.
“We don’t feel we could justify the cost for providing service for just 12 customers to the rest of our membership,” Mitchell said.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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