By Eugene T. Lowe
December 20, 2010

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan hosted a luncheon meeting on November 29 at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a group of mayors led by Conference of Mayors President Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz. Kautz and Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran requested the meeting with the Secretary to discuss the future of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Kautz and Cochran said in a letter to Donovan that they were particularly concerned with remarks raised by a top HUD official that expressed "serious questions and ambivalences … regarding the ability of HUD to measure and report on the benefits of CDBG. " The remarks were made at the Conference of Mayors Leadership Meeting in September 2010. Kautz and Cochran said further in the letter to the Secretary: "We must tell you that our leadership mayors were very concerned about the nature of the discussion…"

Donovan told the mayors in the luncheon meeting that HUD was not ambivalent about CDBG but fully supportive of the program. He cited his use of CDBG in New York City where he experienced first hand the value and the many benefits of the program. Also attending the meeting was HUD Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development Mercedes Marquez who also used CDDBG in Los Angeles. Donovan and Marquez, as local government leaders, had the two largest CDBG funding allocations in the nation, New York City and Los Angeles, respectively.

Donovan and the mayors agreed that there is a critical need for good and sound data on the job creation and economic development activity of CDBG. The mayors pledged to work with HUD in developing such a database. The mayors also said that they would work to make sure congressional delegations become better aware of the many accomplishments of CDBG and would rebuild their efforts this year during National Community Development Week. During this annual celebration, members of Congress are invited across the nation to visit and witness the use of CDBG dollars in their jurisdictions.

Mayors told Donovan that they are especially concerned with the HUD Budget for Fiscal Year 2012. In the letter to the Secretary requesting the meeting, the Conference of Mayors position was made clear: "Simply stated, CDBG must be fully funded." CDBG formula grants were funded at $3, 990 billion in FY10. Mayors also said that they would work toward getting adequate funding for FY11 and oppose any effort to reduce funding to FY08 spending levels as some in Congress are reported to be pushing in a continuing resolution.

Along with Kautz, other mayors who attended the HUD luncheon meeting included: Conference of Mayors Second Vice President Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Community Development and Housing Committee Chair Newton (MA) Mayor Setti Warren, Community Development and Housing Committee Vice Chair Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Trustee Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard, Advisory Board Member Bridgeport (CT) Mayor Bill Finch, and Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran.