SouthEastern Arizona Governments Organization

Community Development

The Community Development Planner assists member entities in applying to the Arizona Department of Housing for annual Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), which are funded by the Federal Housing and Urban Development department (HUD). Each of the 4 counties within SEAGO have elected to rotate the funding, rather than compete for this grant. For instance, Cochise County has eight local governments, of which four apply one year, and four the next. Other counties have chosen two, three, and four year rotation schemes. These rotation agreements ensure that communities can plan ahead and will not waste staff time applying for competitive grants that they may not win. Approximately $2.4 million is allotted to SEAGO each year, and shared per population and poverty formulations. Unfortunately, as with many other federal programs, the funding has been reduced each year.

In addition to assisting member entities with the public participation, planning and budgeting processes, and with the writing of grant applications, each entity has the option of hiring SEAGO on a contract basis to administer their grant. This typically takes 2 years, and involves completing environmental reviews, providing the procurement of design and construction services, tracking all financial transactions, providing overall project management, and overseeing compliance with federal labor standards and a host of other federal regulations.

Question regarding the SEAGO CDBG Program, contact Bonnie Williams, CDBG Planner, (520) 432-5301, ext. 211
E-mail: Bonnie Williams

Question regarding Environmental Reporting and Labor Standards Compliance, contact Ylda Guillen, CDBG Compliance Specialist, (520) 432-5301, ext. 212
E-mail: Ylda Guillen

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