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Show o (C) if P. ' 1 j .: ? .s4w LOOSENING FEDERAL STRINGS Several million dollars in community development block grants will be available to Utah cities and towns this year, perhaps with fewer federal strings attached-Utah attached-Utah Community Development Director Gary Tomsic tells members of the Wasatch Front Regional Council. By MARK D. MICKELSEN BOUNTIFUL Several million dollars in community development block grants will be available to Utah cities and towns this fiscal year, but with perhaps fewer federal strings attached, according to Gary R. Tomsic, Utah Community Development De-velopment director. MR. TOMSIC, speaking before be-fore members of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, Thursday said if state officials agree to administer the grants program Utah will have access to $3.5 to four million dollars-which dollars-which can be used for a number num-ber of economic development programs. The money, he said, "can be used in a broad number of areas and will come to the state with very few (federal) strings attached." . HOWEVER, MR. Tomsic said the CDBG program still requires that state officials use the funds to benefit low and moderate income areas, to insure in-sure against urban blight and to pursue development of additional addi-tional low and moderate income in-come housing projects. Historically, CDBG efforts have been heavily oriented towards to-wards helping low and middle-incorrte middle-incorrte families and in housing project development. THE NEW program is characterized char-acterized by "a high degree of flexibility," Tomsic told WFRC members. But, while it is flexible, great responsibility is placed on the state to insure that the needs of the people are met. The state will be required to provide a ten percent match on the federal money. For every federal dollar, Tomsic explained, ex-plained, a state dollar must be contributed. "WE DON'T see any great problem in matching those funds," he said. If the state agrees to administer admi-nister the program, city and county officials will be responsible respon-sible for determining policy issues, including input on how the funds will be best spent. THERE MUST also be a publication process, telling cities and counties how the funds will be spent and the amount of funding available, he said. Specific reports must be submitted to federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) authorities in order for them to review the program. "WE ARE NOT in any hurry to start handing out money," Tomsic explained. He said the state will have 60 days to determine deter-mine whether or not they want to administer the program. "We're not under any severe se-vere time pressures." IF APPROVED, the process of community development block grant funding is going to become "very dynamic," Tomsic said. "There is going to be a high degree of competition for this money." THOSE WHO fear state management of the CDGB program believe that distribution distribu-tion of the money will be hand led with an increased degree of discretion, he explained. Officials will have to determine deter-mine a way of disseminating the funds that will be fair, but may not make everyone happy, hap-py, he said. HE SAID survival of the program and methods "depends "de-pends basically on us." Reaction among WFRC members was mixed Thursday as Tomsic explained the functions func-tions of the newly-organized CDBG program. MANY CITY and county officials are concerned about the dissemination of funds, how projects will be prioritized and who will make the final decisions de-cisions on funding. Historically, CDBG programs prog-rams have been characterized as covering a broad perameter of assistance plans throughout Utah cities and towns, Tomsic explained. A DECISION on the new CDBG program will likely be handed down by the state before be-fore the end of the year. |