2003 Adopted Resolutions
71st Annual Meeting
Denver

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SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

WHEREAS, the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG), continues to be the foundation upon which cities have revitalized their down towns, developed affordable housing, stabilized neighborhoods, and provided important public services for the past 28 years; and

WHEREAS, the strength of the CDBG program lies in its local determination of need and use, flexibility, and wide variety of eligible activities; and

WHEREAS, the formula appropriation for the CDBG program has continued to increase modestly, up to a high of $4.341 billion in FY 2002; and

WHEREAS, the number of new "entitlement communities" still continues to rise at a greater percentage than the increase in the formula appropriation; and

WHEREAS, the reclassification of Metropolitan Statistical Areas as a result of the 2000 Census will further increase the number "entitlement communities" by at least eight percent in 2004; and

WHEREAS, the inclusion of set-asides within the CDBG program has increased substantially in the past five years, from $90 million to a high of $659 million in FY 2002; and

WHEREAS, many of the programs funded through set-asides are already eligible within the program's guidelines; and

WHEREAS, more than $225 million in set-asides in FY 2000 is for projects unrelated and in many cases ineligible, to the basic CDBG program; and

WHEREAS, the increase in set-asides compounded with the increase in the number of eligible entitlement grantees has thereby led to a notable, yet unrecognized cut to the otherwise "increases" in its formula appropriation,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors acknowledges that to the extent that the programs represented in the CDBG set-asides should be funded separately; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges the President, the Secretary of HUD, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to increase the formula appropriation in FY 2004 to $5.5 billion to accommodate the increase in eligible entitlement communities.