The City of Newburgh held its Community Development Block Grant [CDBG]Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report [CAPER] public hearing at Monday’s city council meeting.

Alexandra Church, the city’s director of planning and development, emphasized that the public hearing was only on the 2019 CAPER. There is also a public comment period for 15 days for individuals to submit written comments.

“The bottom line for all of this is Newburgh has never maximized the usage of Community Block Grants for the city,” said Lillie Howard. “Go on the site, HUD [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] site, and see what other cities have done with their Community Development Block Grant funds.”

Getting angrier by the second, Howard expressed discontent over the city’s usage of CDBG funding.

“I think it’s an outrage,” said Howard. “It’s a sin, because we have not done what we should have done with the Community Development Block Grant funds.”