Medford Braces for Block Grant Funding Cut

In anticipation of funding cuts, Medford is planning a budget for federal block grants that's about $303,000 lighter than last year, officials said Tuesday night.

The block grants budget line hit most significantly in 2012-2013 is "physical improvements," which includes work on water, sewage, streets and sidewalks, Community Development Director Lauren DiLorenzo told the city council Tuesday night.

"That’s really taken the biggest budget cut and it’s going to limit the amount of street work we’ll be able to do this year,” DiLorenzo said.

The city initially anticipated about an 8 percent reduction in block grant funding after President Barack Obama announced plans to cut back on the grants, DiLorenzo said. Now the cuts are up to 16 percent and could go higher, she said.

“Even as I’m here before you tonight, we still don’t know exactly how much money we will receive,” she said Tuesday.

A total block grant budget for 2011-2012 in Medford of $1.59 million was approved by the city council last night by a 6-0 vote. The budget is down from about $1.9 million last year.

Among the items set to be funded through block grants are:

• $60,000 for a new handicap lift at Shepherd Brooks Estate
• $841,956 for physical improvements; including upgrades to sewer, sidewalk and drainage systems, lead removal, tree planting, traffic signalization, and road improvements
• $25,000 to enable the support of business expansion for low-to-moderate income persons
• $199,397 for public services, including combating social illnesses and substance abuse, after school child care programs, social and recreation activities for the elderly, English classes for non-english speaking residents, improving resources for people at risk of homelessness, and food pantry, meals and counseling services
• $317,808 for planning and administration

All councilors voted in support of the block grant budget, except Penta, who abstained because of his association with the Shepherd Brooks Estate and West Medford Community Center, which both receive funding through block grants.

"I don’t know what state our city would be in if we did not receive this funding," Councilor Frederick Dello Russo said.