City Commission - Regular Meeting

This is it. No related officials. Okay. Like I said, y'all in trouble. Get what you get. You don't have to fit.

You recording? Is Mr. Little? I think he was going to pop in. already.

So who is Oh, this is a brand still. This is under his Okay. Don't even matter. You recording?

Yes.

Good evening. How are you doing? Hey. Yes, indeed. Last degree good. So, I'm not able to get up on that because I was thinkong.

Yeah. Yeah. Do you want to go through this? Well, we can. I'm only going to be about another 20 minutes because I got another meeting I got to get to and let's do it. All right. She's not going to hold me. All right. This is This must not be important. Anybody?

Nobody's shooting. Yeah. Uh well, the purpose of this uh meeting is to provide an opportunity for public input regarding the CDBG program. of annually we've been receiving 10% less each year and we're at about 389,000 I believe it is now that we get um the categories if do you have a couple of these okay the categories that HUD programs eligible activities fall in into public improvements in the as we've done sidewalks and so forth when we had more money public facilities, rehabilitation of of homes of elderly and and uh qualifying people. We have been doing that all along and still are economic development activities and public services. Um HUD's basic requirements are that there's a a consolidated planning process. Every five years we do a fiveyear uh consolidated plan where at that point again now where we're doing a consolidated plan for the period from 20 actually starts July 1 of 2026 going forward to uh 2030. Um the plan includes a needs assessment and market analysis, priority needs identification, strategic

goals for funds, annual action plan, uh that's the first year of funding which is also included in each five-year plan and then each year after that that they're done individually. uh opportunities for citizen participation. Uh con plan is approved and submitted to HUD. How to participate? As you see on the sheets, community meetings, community survey posted online, stakeholder survey posted online, 30-day public comment periods, draft um convent uh will be available for review and spring May 26, which is where we are now. um the HUD awards and grant funds to the jurisdiction to fund activities in the consolidated and the annual plan. The plan short for consolidated plan major components and allocations. Major components are needs assessment, housing market analysis, five-year strategic plan, an annual action plan, and the citizen participation line. The HUD 2025 fund allocation was 382,893. Um, we expect 10% less for the coming period. That's typically what it's been each year lately. Um

just um for illustration on the right you see the um pieces of the puzzle uh illustrated community input housing data analysis strategic plan and hood issues funding and data slaps you city population highlights populations indicated as 8,953 and and other information from census at point in time showed 9,100. It's decreased around 11% over the last 10 years. I believe that in the upcoming period that we're going to find some increases. I hope total households approximately 3,624. Uh again a 3.1% decrease. Um median income $31,917. Uh which actually is an increase over what it was. Um, let me just go ahead.

On page four at the time it uh says uh total households 3,624 which is indicated as a 31% decrease. And just as an aside, I think everyone's pretty much aware that 2/3 of our uh households are rental. Um very little less onethird that's actually owner occupied. Says median income $31,117 which is a 60.7% increase is what it's indicating here. The needs assessment uh deals with the poverty rate from 2014 through 2024. City of Ben Harbor in 2014 was showing 47.4%. 2024 showing 40.1%. Uh Michigan statewide 16.9% and 2024 13.25%. So we continue to be one of if not the lowest uh in the state. Low to moderate income. Low to moderate incomes equal less than 80% of area median income based on 2025 income uh limits for the Niles Michigan MSA. And I'm not sure why it's saying ins Michigan because there is a Benton Harbor St. Joseph MSA um household of 148,850

household on this when we're saying uh median income that takes in a much larger area than just our city. And that will include uh St. Joe, right? Yeah. St. Joe, St. Joe Township, um Lincoln, that's when uh area median income goes up. Thank you. Yes.

Always a question because we are If we're going off of or the state is going off of the surrounding areas as well when as it relates to this assessment here in land let me I I think I know where you are going and I think it's a useful yeah and and will continue to be because this is actually done at the Washington DC level and it's nationwide that they have these standard metropolitan statistical areas that have been in existence for years that sometime following the census if there's a major change they may shift one but otherwise it stays the same.

Mr. My question becomes so when when we had Mr. when you was the city manager and for all that time that we used to be a we used to get a million and businesses came forth and and got some loans and they belly up and left holding the bag. Yes. And we had to pay that million money back to the state. Yes.

And we did that. We were complete with it for like uh 20 2016 2017 somewhere in there and then you were getting like 400 down. Oh yes. As a matter of fact uh if I recall correctly 2021 which was the first full year that I uh was back. I believe it was about 404,000 then. And it dropped 10% each year. And u uh that's Well, we were hoping for an increase, but it just never happened. U

Okay.

Sure. The household of two, the uh in the uh median income is 55,800. Household 362,800. household of 4 69,750 and a household of five 75,350. Now certain factors about those kinds of numbers work against us. Most of them work against us. But there are times when those favors will also work in our favor. Because for example, if a qualifying um income level to get into a certain uh housing is that you have to be at or below the area median income, that's when it works in your favor. Yes, you're right. Yeah, that's when it works in your favor, right? Housing profile table cost of housing 2014 to 2024. Median home value in 2014 was 47,400. 2024 that figure 76,500 and uh which is a 61.4% increase. Um the median contract rent in 2014 was $434

a month and in 2024 617 which is a 42.2% increase. median income which is just in the city uh 19,359 in 2014. In 2024 is 30,000 when you're under 17 and that's where you get the 60.7% increase. Now the source of this is the American community survey data which uses a census and then takes and applies uh additional information they gather against that in terms of what's happening the homeowner housing cost burden median home value 61.4% increase last decade 18.2 2% is a severe homeless burden which is greater than 50%. 7.7 between 30% and 50%. 26% total cost burden homeowners which is greater than 30%. The impact of housing cost burden, financial strain, reduced available income for essentials such as food, health care, and transportation. Risk of foreclosure. Homeowners facing a housing cost burden are at an increased risk of foreclosure. Reduced savings on investments limit the ability to save for retirement. And once again, back to that whole concept of home cost brooding. Any

amount above 30% of the family's income is considered to be that they're if they're paying anything above 30% for a rent or for a house note is considered to be an additional cost burden that affects their other um uh means available for food, clothing and that kind of thing. Parental housing cost burden medium rent contract increase 42.2%. 46.3% severe cost burden greater than 50%. 18.2% between 30% and 50%. 64.5% total cost burden rankings. Impacts of housing cost burden. Financial strain, reduced available income for essentials such as food, health care, and transportation. Risk of eviction, higher risk of eviction, and displacement, inability to save for home ownership, limit the ability to save for down payment. One of the fa one of the factor that I'll mention uh related to these last couple of pages or so that I read is when you're talking about the cost of homes increasing and rent increasing that is impacting our citizens negatively in many respects. But something else is happening that some people are aware of and others perhaps not. That's lots in the city that five since 10

years ago were selling for $300, $500 are now going for 10 and 12 or 14,000. houses that a few years back you could buy for 17 $18,000 now going for 65 70 up to $100,000 because there is as you've all been hearing a national shortage of housing and likewise as it impact uh uh goes to all communities but here And Dun Harbor was one of the few remaining communities around it. He has a lot of empty space and a lot of vacant houses, some of which have to be torn down, but nevertheless, the value of what's there is increasing.

Okay. I did the needs and assessment and consolidation portion and everything that you just spoke about about the and all of that. Where are we having this conversation before? Okay. About these dollars and I think that we were still at the 400,000 that we used to receive. Yeah. myself.

There is no requirement that he has to do that. Right. Okay. Yes, there is. And this is what Mr. told me that there was 15% that supposed to go towards educational training, job training. Okay. So I think where I'm going is that we don't have a workforce and we didn't add those stations too. We're working on it because there are dollars coming through through Brownfield and other sources.

So where will we start building that workforce because we should be looking down by the river that connects us but no sense in looking there. So, we need to do our part as elected officials to ensure that the residents of Ben Har get to stay in their own community and do the building themselves. Let me I've got two pages left. Let me do that and then I'll talk with you about that. And I got to go out.

How do you prioritize these community needs? affordable housing, public facilities, economic development, home repairs, supportive services. What are the major housing issues? Lack of available units, rental cost, location, cost of repairs, mismatched housing type and sizes. What are the primary drivers preventing fair housing? Racial or ethnic discrimination, age or disability discrimination, source of income, lack of housing options, lack of housing stock, poor access to amenities, unsafe housing choices, lack of affordability, lack of income, lack of down payment, prior evictions, poor credit. Next, needs assessment and development. Market analysis in development. Priority needs and strategic plans, March 2026. Annual action plan, March 26. 30-day comment period, spring 26. HUD submission, June 2, 2026. program year start date July 1, 2026. Okay. And that generally is the summary of information that we're sharing. We are doing that one because it's a HUD requirement that we do it and we want to comply with that. But to get to some of the issues

that are more germanine to us here, can you think for a minute what is 10% of $382,000? Well, if I may say I'm not I'm not that good at math. What I am good at is what I can physically see and live and be understand. And my thing was We had that ability. We have the same ability to have conversation with HUD to be able to utilize even more of those dollars to build a workforce for the people. Everybody don't want to live on disability and social security.

The only thing I can do is help you with information and accurate information. Yes. And even and even theirs is tremendously negative. All right. Because is she answered 10% is 38,000. How many people can you train with 38 15 train to do that?

If we can open up one more business, what we do? What I was going to say to you is that the way the government is split up, it's the department of labor that provides the funds for doing trading and so forth. Has a provision that's supposedly designed to assist in getting employment for undermployed people and so forth. And it began at projects funded at $200,000 a month. They just increased it when we got the information this past week is now 300,000. I I don't think anything right there that I've been talking about for years and we've let the city's engineers get away with federal dollars where 10 more% supposed to come from

this. You know what? I It's just disheartening as hard as I fought for this community and to see things not changing and shifting in in some form or favor for the people when they are the ones that's always being taxed and something raised on them and it's just not fair that we don't fight for them.

And I guess I'm just kind of salty right now. You have to forgive me because There was a vote at the UN today or actually yesterday and America is the only one. I'm just tired as unapologetically black. I'm doing my

understand. And if I could just from the me It is a tough environment and it has gotten decidedly tougher. Um and and unfortunately we sometimes get misled or mislead ourselves in terms of our analysis and understanding.

We are created. We are creators as the person that created us in the image and likeness of there's a whole lot of things that we can do. My friend, can I can we just three minutes to share something with you that because now you know I've spent the last 50 years working in the whole lower half of the United States and I just turned 81.

Okay. So, I've been around a while and I and I worked in cities just like this, East St. Louis, Gary, Harvey. Yes. Because I wanted to try to help these communities. But when our folks have tended to get creative, we've often not done it in the right manner. For example, when I came back to the city this time, remember why I came back? You had $2 million in hood money that was locked away. You couldn't spend a dime in it because of them having gotten creative. with you can get creative within certain boundaries depending on the source of your life. But when it comes with rules and regulations and you get creative within all you do is shut yourself down. And when I got here, I had to start undermining and doing all of those things that they said we had not done in order to be able to get and use that money.

I was going to put that emergency management. Okay. Emergency management plan and it was like playing yo-yo with with with fans. I was I was my wife. All right. And I know he did that with Allah. The emergency manager left in 2017. Yeah. And we were still under our I was very much a part of that as well. Um Mr. L, we purchased some some items that we didn't have employees the last couple years that that we knew that we didn't have employees to operate. such as they chipper.

You're totally wrong. You're totally wrong. They can't use it every day. But they can go out and eat. Yeah.

I mean, are you before they get to the point of being stopped by the police, beaten by the police, or shot and killed or end up, you know, let's end the publication. That's all got to be killed out. Yeah. in regards to I see that the plan should be done like is it complete already or a draft is complete already. Okay. And now we're listening for additional comments.

It's revisable. It is revisable. Yeah.

But but just to which is not included here. Let me just mention what and it's not really different than it's been the last few years. the city and I think most all of us are are strongly committed to a summer youth program for our kids and uh this regulations allows us to use no more than 15% of the funding in the category called public services. And there only two things in public services. That's typically around 30 35,000 that we use for some reuse and about the rest is basically the food nutrition program at North homebound elderly. We usually put around a 100,000 into doing home rehabilitation for seniors and poor and elderly. And uh other than that uh we're back now to what else? Uh we we've been using a small amount to do things like last year we used some of that allocation along with this community to demolish houses and we demolished 10 houses using good CDBG funds and we got 170,000 from Brownfield and to five others. Um we did a small side and and uh previously when we had that big backlog of money we did like a half million of them but last year I think we had 200,000 that we coupled with an MOT project for Empire and expanded the signage. So there's just not a whole lot

you can do with a small amount of loans and we're trying to get the greatest effect. And I apologize, but I forgot about the pay. Okay. But I guess my thing was to keep on and that is an important thing. But it's not enough, right? But but here's where the ultimate answer to this city's problems in that regard are and that is to bring in put in housing where you can bring in new people who can work

developers and and I'm working right now with trying to get as a matter of fact I've got one proposal uh in the last week from a guy I see and he wants to put about five eight family units uh here in the city. And you see what we've been doing to do that and this is a thing that I've been having problems communicating because my commission is going to help me. Okay.

So, so and I know Miss Booker has some questions, but as it relates to when I think about somebody like Miss Booker and uh um um Kings. Okay, those those dollars that we I was then an elected official geared towards uh uh Southwestern Michigan Action Agency. There's been some people come through here with some brave complaints and they weren't the only ones. This has been happening for years. And I was like until we can get somebody in our office here in city hall that we should bring that contract back in house. And I think that now we don't have the ability. We don't have the ability to do it.

And if you wanted to do it, you can do it now. Uh under there you see shut the thing down and take off all of this discussion after that. But that doesn't need to be in there. And I have no intention of sending this stuff anywhere.