Council OKs $4.9 million CDA budget

YOUNGSTOWN -- Of the $4.93 million community development agency budget approved Wednesday by city council, $2.95 million is available from Community Development Block Grant funds for programs, said Mary Jane Tartan, the CDA acting director. The rest, she said, goes to CDA debt and administrative costs.
The main purpose of the money allocated to the city by the federal government is to assist low- and moderate-income people and areas of the city, she said.
Mayor Jay Williams said the council met for about 10 minutes Wednesday to approve the CDA budget. Williams has said the budget has to be at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., by Monday or the city runs the risk of having a delay in receiving the funding.
Tartan explained $1.2 million of the allocation is to pay off past debt owed by the CDA. Also included is $861,352 for CDA administration fees.
The city will also receive $806,232 for home investment grants and $177,464 for emergency shelter grants.