WORCESTER—Several items on Worcester City Council agenda this week are at the hands of Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn, including requesting funding for U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement programs, the recommendation of adopting a preservation restriction on a portion of 36 Butler St., and an update on the inclusionary zoning and certain housing project delays.
For fiscal year 50 of the HUD entitlement program, City Manager Eric Batista, per Dunn, requests a combined total of $6,6979,590 for its CDBG (Community Development Block Grant), HOME (Home Investment Partnership Program), HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) and ESG (Emergency Solutions Grant) programs, which represents a decrease of 1.3 percent over last year (year 49).
“These entitlement funds continue to be a critical resource for the City of Worcester to support community services, affordable housing, public facilities, public infrastructure and neighborhood vitality,” writes Batista in the letter to councilors.
Other items on the council agenda Tuesday:
- Acknowledgement of Worcester being named a Tree City USA for the 38th year in a row by the Arbor Day Foundation
- A financial update from Timothy McGourthy, CFO, ending April 30, 2024, which shows “local receipts are stable, with no cause for concern at this time”
- District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj is requesting the Standing Committee on Public Health and Human Services invite representatives from the Central West Justice Center and Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance (CMHA) to discuss the status of evictions in the city
- Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen makes several requests, including a report on Shotspotter data, summer youth programs, and arrest diversion data and strategies, especially for the city’s black and Latino youth
- A report on the number of pothole claims since COVID-19
The number of claims in FY2022 and 2024 are “abnormally high,” according to the report. According to the report, the roads suffered damage because of severe storms in January and February of 2022.
Worcester City Council meets on Tuesday, May 28, at City Hall in the Esther Howland (south) Chamber at 6:30 p.m.
Charlene Arsenault can be reached at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
