Deadlines are approaching throughout the Midwest for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). According to HUD, the primary goal of the CDBG program is “the development of viable communities, by providing decent housing and suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income.” … Read more
President Joe Biden announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program will double its funding from $500 million to $1 billion for the 2022 application window. This provides a major opportunity for flood control and water-related infrastructure projects to access grant funding. The BRIC program provides 75% cost-share … Read more
Special assessments are a commonly used tool to finance the construction of improvements in parts of the country. The basic idea is that the cost of improvements is assigned to the individual properties that benefit and in relation to how much benefit is received. In other words, when a new water pipeline is installed along … Read more
The year 2020 brought many words and phrases to the forefront of the public’s collective consciousness. The idea of equity is being considered more carefully in many communities across the country. For instance, the City of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota included Equity as one of six goals to accomplish within the next five years in the … Read more
The Federal year-end Omnibus Appropriations Bill was grouped with the high profile COVID relief legislative package. Several appropriations benefit the water sector, including: Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF): $1,638,826,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF): $1,126,088,000 Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA): $59.5M U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Overflow Control & Stormwater Municipal … Read more
The fourth quarter of what seems like the longest year in history is upon us. As utility decision makers review year-end revenue projections and sign off on expenditures for the coming year, it is also the time for the discussion of the rate schedule. Rate changes can be a complicated and difficult discussion topic. The … Read more