City Business, City Management, City Press Releases, Housing

I Need New Gutters

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The automatic, instamatic notification system that LaVergne dinged a message earlier today about winning a grant! LaVergne received $150,000 from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency for low-income home-owners to make repairs.

The income criteria to be eligible for the home-repair funds are:  One person in household, can make up to $36,550. If there are two people in the household, $41, 750. Three people, $46,950. Four people, $52,150. Five people $56,310, etc.

For more information or to apply, contact the city grant writer Montique Luster by Feb. 4, 2011 at City Hall (call 793-6295).

While I’ve never met our grant-writer, the potential of this city position is important.  I would love to see LaVergne take a look at neighborhood stabilization grant programs (neighborhood block grants).  According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, money is available for the following (and more):

  • Establish financing mechanisms for purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed homes and residential properties;
  • Purchase and rehabilitate homes and residential properties abandoned or foreclosed;
  • Establish land banks for foreclosed homes;
  • Demolish blighted structures;
  • Redevelop demolished or vacant properties

I wonder if the city would consider appointing a committee of interested residents to perhaps brainstorm ideas on applying for federal funds to improve our neighborhoods.  There may already be a committee for this…  ??  anyone know?

12 comments for “I Need New Gutters”

  1. Sarah N.
    December 1, 2010 at 10:43 pm

    How do you get the word out about a program like that to those that might need it?

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth
    December 1, 2010 at 10:57 pm

    Montique & I had lunch and dinner today and will be doing lunch tomorrow…but she never mentioned anything about getting any grants approved, even though I asked her if she is getting some grants written….sly little girl…way to go Montique…get all the money you can for the city….LOL

    Reply
  3. Leanne
    December 2, 2010 at 12:34 am

    These are grants from THDA (Tennessee Housing Development Agency). You can find out if you can qualify for your portion of the pie by calling 815-2200. This is the number for the local THDA office.

    Reply
  4. Richard Long
    December 2, 2010 at 5:14 am

    To my understanding the city does not have a grant writing position (wish they did!). More of a "learn as you go" type of thing for the department heads. I do know that everyones on the look out for grant money for city improvements as are other non-profits here in town.

    Reply
    • blah blah
      December 2, 2010 at 7:21 am

      No, Ms. Luster (mentioned above) is the grant writer for the city and Carl McMillan is the grant writer for the police dept. I don't know how many grants they have pulled in, but this HOME grant has been on the agenda for a few times over the last several months, so this is not a new grant award. It's been approved for quite a while. I think they are just trying to get the word out so people can apply for help.

      Most grants that the city could apply for have to have matching portions paid for by the city. It's hard to get grants when you can't even afford to pay the matching portion. I don't see how the city cannot raise our property taxes next year. I also think our water and sewer rates are getting ready to go up as well, because that fund is running in the red and has for a few years now. The previous mayor kept putting off the inevitable and now we are probably going to have pay more than we would have if smaller increases had been made over the years. Our water and sewer rates have not increased since 1997, but inflation doesn't stop and that doesn't even include the metro sewer increase that the city has been absorbing since last year.

      Reply
      • Richard Long
        December 2, 2010 at 5:30 pm

        I stand corrected. Thanks for the information!

        Reply
    • mark
      December 2, 2010 at 8:32 am

      the grant write cant do her job because past mayor had moved her into doing city court and other things. writing grants is a full time job and she needs to get back to doing so and put someone else that just sits around and reads a book doing city court job! make sense to me. I know for a fact that several dont have much to do at city so maybe reorganizing some jobs might work out for the best!

      Reply
  5. michaelinLV
    December 2, 2010 at 8:58 pm

    " I don’t see how the city cannot raise our property taxes next year"

    What I dont' understand is how Mt. Juliet can be the number 1 most busienss friendly city in the State, has rising propertty values, and have no property taxes! What are they doing right that we are not?

    Reply
    • blah blah
      December 3, 2010 at 12:16 am

      Mt. Juliet gets a lot more sales tax revenues than Lavergne. I'll have to look for numbers, but I don't have time right now.

      Reply
      • Sherry
        December 3, 2010 at 8:42 am

        I would guess that Providence Mall brings in a pretty good amount of sales tax revenue.

        Reply

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