WESTFIELD- The Office of Community Development and Planning has scheduled two public hearings to take place Jan. 14 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. in room 315 of City Hall.
The hearings’ agenda includes discussion of the community development needs of the city for the first year of the 2020-2024 five year plan. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires such hearings to be conducted annually in order to allocate funds to municipalities.
The Community Development Office will also be receptive to input from the public during the hearings so that they may get a better sense of what residents see as the community development needs of Westfield.
“What we will be doing is presenting information relative to the resources that we have and some of the findings that we have encountered when we have been going out and meeting with agencies and other city officials to talk about what our priorities should be next year,” said Community Development Director Peter J. Miller.
He added that the city typically receives around $350,000 every year in HUD funds.
“This is for the first year of our new five-year plan, so this is a little bit more of an intensive process than we have had to undertake the last couple of years,” said Miller.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) proposal applications will also be available for those looking to fund activities in the city for people of low or moderate incomes. Those applications will be made available Dec. 30. Public services, housing, public facilities, economic development, and public infrastructure are among the eligible activities for the applications.
The input received from the public hearings on Jan. 14 will supplement the information provided by residents in a recent public survey conducted by the city. The 10-question survey asked residents multiple choice questions such as: “What public services programs are most needed in Westfield?” and “What are the economic development needs of the city?
The data collected from both the survey and the public hearings will determine where the funds are allocated within the city. The survey closed last week.
“This is something we do every five years. We are looking for community input,” said Acting Mayor Ralph J. Figy. “This is their chance to help shape the direction that the city takes in the next five years.”
Organizations and people who are seeking CDBG funds should contact Miller at the Office of Community Development at [email protected] or 413-572-6246.
