UURP Committee| Regular Meeting | April 27th, 2026 | 5:30pm
Call to Order and Roll Call
Chairwoman Harris calls the meeting of the Urban Redevelopment and Housing Committee to order and conducts roll call. Although a quorum is initially not present, the committee begins as an informational meeting and introduces staff members.
Presentation on the Proposed Tentative Grant Budget
The committee receives a presentation on the proposed tentative grant budget, which includes CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA funds. Members discuss the prioritization of the $17.5 million in requests and review the timeline for HUD submission.
Motion to Substitute the Ordinance and Closing Remarks
The committee entertains a motion to substitute the budget ordinance and agrees to co-sponsor the legislation. Members express gratitude to the staff and celebrate the successful collaboration on the budget process.
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I'm right in here. Yes. You have
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joined the urban Michelle and the Joe Crime Committee.
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Chairwoman Harris? Present. Vice chair Pochardo is absent. Councilman Gonzalez is absent. Councilman Graves?
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Present. Councilman Gonzalez is absent. Do not have a form, so this will be an informational meeting. Okay. We are gonna have
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our information on the meeting. Missus Melissa, could you please say your name into the record, please? Danielle Stotts in. Thank you. Policy, could you say your name for the record, please?
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Project management, Robert Baptiste, the third of project management. The other guy's gone. Alright. Thank you. Endeavor's second communication first.
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Conclude our review of the proposed tenant tentative grant budget on behalf of mayor Steinleaf, the department of health and safety. As a reminder, this budget represents our second year of investment on our twenty twenty five to twenty twenty nine consolidated. Over the past few months, we have worked collaboratively to shape a strategic investment of our federal resources, CDBG, homes, ESG, and hop up funds to meet the evolving needs of our community.
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How many? Four. So
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with the request, we received $17,500,000 in requests, including $12,500,000. Throughout this process, we ensured to prioritize proposals to ensure critical services for safety accessible, such as food access, childcare, wellness protection, and refugees. We also focus on funding on funding facility and housing proposals that address serious operational barriers, such as ADA improvements and fire safety. That, creates also new units, to our affordable, to our lowest income residents. I wanna recognize the hard work of the counselors and of the staff, particularly Kyle Delgado and Robert Baptista, for proactively identifying projects in each board.
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Thanks to your diligence, all of the projects for each board have been incorporated into the ordinance, and we are on track to finalize and pass our budget before the May 8 docket deadline. This keeps us in line for a timely HUD submission by June July 1. Today, we plan to substitute the mayor's draft budget with the final ordinance, which has been sent to the chair and vice chair ahead of time for In closing, I wanna sincerely thank all of you for your thoughtful engagement, partnerships, and collaboration throughout this process. Your commitment has ensured that these federal funds will have the greatest possible impact on Providence residents who need it most. I look forward to wrapping up this work with you and moving closer towards project implementation.
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And I would like to open up for questions if anyone has any final questions.
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Let the record show that councilman, vice chairman John, so noted, we also note that we also had a quorum. I'd I'd like to point out here, Roger, at 05:59, so it's within half an hour. And thank you, We knew you were going to die. Absolutely. 05:59.
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Exactly. There we go. Made a team. A really tough. Yeah.
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Do you have any questions for our Another question, mister Collins. Oh, please do. Just wanted to thank you for your due diligence and conversations that this committee also chose to hear from them. Heard from them
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and also the
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the funds whether they're limited. As you said, they were requests of over $17,000,000?
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Yes. 17,500,000 requests.
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And I think we could fund
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a lot of them, and we hope that we we could.
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I appreciate your chair, I I mean, I echo the sentiments of the council and the the committee here. Also, I appreciate your every year, I think that, you know, we want it a
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little bit more, get a little more efficient. You know, we've
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been doing this for several years now, so partnership there is strong. We have a process that is pretty seamless and efficient. And so, also, the big problem, this is the second co at CDBG that actually started kind of around this time of year. So it's great to see his his roles there. And all the committee members that made this a a worthwhile and impactful process.
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All those organizations are receiving funds that directly impact the the profits and improve the job. We are able to get this out of the community
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to work with their
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their job and then get that money out to the folks that work hard to do that. Everybody here has a hand in that, and I'm very appreciative that. You have to pass it on to
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you. And you just triggered a question. Not a question, but just for the red tape. What happens after this? I mean, besides, I know tonight, we intend on moving that part.
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Do you have
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a role after this? That's right. So if we are able to pass substitute this budget in the ordinance format this evening, we are then able to hit the May 1 docket deadline, which means city council will proceed with her two required passages on the seventh to the twenty first. That will then enable us to build this approved budget into a larger annual action plan. That's a very, prescriptive format, which we have to submit, which is a much longer narrative document.
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You also, for each one of these projects, have to build out the expected progress data. And so we submit that to HUD. We also put HUD that are reviewed with approval. They have forty five days before we submit for the group. So by following this timeline and adhering to this timeline, this ensures that we will get our application ready to bug at the front of the pack, and then review and approve it.
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That one, you're supposed to buy first program your start date with funds to arrive shortly thereafter. So by adhering to that date, if there are no separate shutdowns or any hiccups, that means funds will arrive in time for a full construction season. So we'll have an early project start, and no disruptions in service by following this time. So thank you. Thank you.
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And, Robert, we wanna hear from you when you have to have patience for calling the process switch. Well, that's the work that you're doing to do. No. Feel pretty good about the work.
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I feel pretty good about the timeline. I think it went pretty smoothly. It was stuff, you know, across the people, you know, organizations that they would like to help or come up with. It's a pleasure. Always very helpful and informative, and and I'm just really looking forward to being, you know, being helpful towards these organizations in our, you know, communities that, you know, help our constituents and people.
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It feels good to be able to do that work. Thank Appreciate. Of course, Chip. And then the
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rest of the council. We thank you for being committed with that. I will entertain a motion to substitute the ordinance If there's no more discussion. Is there even more discussion? I do have something to say.
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Yes. This is going so well. I just wanna put my two seven. I really wanna appreciate. This is my last budget, but I wanna say working with you guys as a team and especially with the new clerks coming on and just just jumping right in.
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You know what I'm trying to say? And and doing the job that you need to do, such as making sure you keep us on track and doing your part. Thank you, Emily, for your work, especially with councilman and I running back and forth, to make sure that we not only satisfy this committee, but also, thank you, Kyle and Robert, because
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I remember years when it
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was, like, pulling two to get back at the table of getting projects to reflect myself. Thank you so much. This has been a wonderful experience for me, and I can tell you I will always, always, with this impression, and I can that I have worked with a great group of people to make sure that the city of Providence organizations have the resources in order to do their projects, and the work you guys do amazing. Every year, And and take you care of you over here to do what we need to do. Work together is the team, and the communication is the best.
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And thank you for everything
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Aye. Now if there's no more that's in the forties Madam chair, would you like to make all of the, all the committee member a sponsor for these ordinance? Would the committee like to cosign this ordinance? Yes. Yes.
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Yes. So we all want this Yes.
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There we
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go. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Same page.
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Well, here I go with my speech. If there's no more, this is what what is