Staff member led a mandatory City of Fayetteville Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) workshop that walked prospective applicants through application materials, eligibility rules and documentation requirements, and set the application deadline for 5 p.m. on Oct. 31 and the mandatory workshop for Oct. 1.

The presentation explained how Fayetteville distributes CDBG funds, the national objectives applicants must meet, and the local documentation the city requires for review and monitoring. "So the sign in sheet is how we know which organizations get the certificates of attendance," Staff member said, describing the in-person process used to verify workshop attendance. The presentation also reviewed the application packet, the fillable PDF and the page limits and formatting rules the city enforces.

City staff gave specific guidance on eligibility and required paperwork. Staff member said public services funding is capped at 15% and noted that public-services awards for the department have ranged "in the 40 to 60 range the last 4 or 5 years." Applicants must register at SAM.gov to receive a unique entity identifier and submit a certificate of good standing from the secretary of state's website (a screenshot of the status page is acceptable). Staff member said, "If you follow the instructions, you're going to...get to the committee and be considered for funding," stressing that a correctly completed application will reach the review panel.

Other key application rules covered: the application form itself (excluding attachments) must not exceed 13 pages; the city prefers fillable PDFs but still offers Word on request; project budgets must show the entire project cost and clearly identify which items are being requested from CDBG; and CDBG will not fund computers, laptops or routine office equipment because such items must be tracked for five years. For public-facilities projects, staff emphasized the need for current construction cost estimates that include materials and labor and warned that planning/design-only requests are not funded by the city’s practice.

Income and national-objective documentation were flagged as frequent failure points. Staff member said the city now asks whether 51% or more of beneficiaries served by the project will be low- and moderate-income (yes/no) rather than asking for a percentage. If applicants cannot document a chosen national objective other than the limited-clientele LMI subcategory or area benefit, their applications may not move forward. "If you believe your national objective will be anything other than benefiting low to moderate income persons with the subcategory limited clientele, please talk to us immediately after the presentation because you're probably wrong," Staff member said.

Monitoring and timeline details: public facilities work must remain in use and be monitored for five years with quarterly reporting; public-services grants must meet a 75% spend-down date that staff currently lists around Sept. 19 (subject to final award timing); and applicants should expect a 30-day public comment period on any draft action plan after awards are announced. Staff member said the city submitted its action plan on July 11 and that HUD field review is in progress.

Staff also reviewed the committee's process for awarding funds, including partial funding. Applicants are asked whether they will accept partial awards and to state a minimum acceptable amount and how partial funding would change service levels. Staff gave a worked example showing how ranked requests are funded in order until available dollars are exhausted.

Staff noted administrative details applicants often miss: signature and date by an authorized signatory; current board-member list with contact and term expiration; recent audit or financial review within the past three years (the city accepts a financial review when a full audit is not required); verification of facility accessibility for public-facilities projects; and documentation of intake forms and income verification methods.

Staff announced a tentative November 7 connections event for nonprofits and that a follow-up meeting with the committee in October will review the program review process. Staff member also said Yolanda is no longer with the city and that credit administration is evaluating internal assignments while staff cover responsibilities.

The presentation closed with staff encouraging applicants to use the application guide as a checklist, to start SAM.gov early, to provide current cost estimates for facilities work and to contact city staff with questions before submission. "If you follow the instructions, you're you're not going to guarantee funding, but it's going to guarantee it's going to get to the committee and be considered for funding," Staff member said.

Questions from committee members followed; staff confirmed the Oct. 1 workshop date and the Oct. 31, 5 p.m. submission deadline and reiterated that the mandatory workshop is intended to reduce incomplete or ineligible applications.