Metro Cities News 8/19/22

Aug

In This Issue:

Webinar Invite: Corridors of Commerce Program

Join Metro Cities for a webinar next Thursday, August 25th from 9:00-10:00 am on the Corridors of Commerce program and changes the MN Department of Transportation has made for the 2022 project submittal process. There will also be an opportunity to address questions. Please RSVP to Jennifer Dorn at [email protected]. Once you RSVP, you will receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link and instructions. City officials and staff are welcome to attend.

Patrick Weidemann, Program Director for Capital Planning at MnDOT will present on the the 2022 Project Selection Schedule, Eligibility and Other Requirements for Project Recommendations and Information on Program Scoring.

The 2022 Corridors of Commerce submittal process opened on August 1 and will close on November 30, 2022. There is $250 million in program funding available. Any city is eligible to submit a project recommendation via the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s online form. Click HERE to view the submittal form. Click HERE to view detailed program guidance and process information for 2022-2023.

Please contact Mike Lund, Metro Cities Government Relations Specialist at [email protected] or 651-215-4003 with any questions.

State Removes HomeHelpMN Application Deadline – Program Open Until Funds Depleted

Minnesota Housing’s financial assistance program for homeowner housing costs has been revised. The original August deadline has been removed and the funding cap has been increased.

Eligible expenses for the HomeHelpMN program include: mortgage and/or contract for deed payments, property taxes, homeowner and condominium association payments, and cooperative fees or common charges, manufactured and mobile home loans and/or lot rent payments, ground rent/lease and Tribal Trust Land lease payments, homeowner’s insurance including hazard, flood, wind and/or mortgage insurance payments.

The cap prior limit on assistance of $35,000 was increased to $50,000 per household. Additionally, there is no longer a time restriction on past-due expenses. Previously, expenses had to be incurred after January 21, 2020. For applications being processed, the new criteria will be used, and no additional action is needed.

While there is no application deadline, homeowners with past-due expenses are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Homeowners with past-due mortgage payments and other eligible housing expenses can apply for assistance as long as funds remain.

City residents may begin an application or learn more by visiting HomeHelpMN.org or calling 800.388.3226. The website and application are available in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong.

Local Housing Trust Fund Matching Grants Available Soon – Inform Program Requirements

The Legislature created a $1 million, one-time Local Housing Trust Fund State Matching Grant program in 2021. Metro Cities advocated for additional funds in 2022 but the legislature did not pass a supplemental housing budget. Minnesota Housing is creating a program to award the $1 million matching grants and is soliciting city input.

Take the Survey

The survey should take no more than 10 minutes and your city’s responses will be used to inform future program design. The program will provide matching grant funds to local communities equal to 100 percent of the new public revenue committed to the local housing trust fund from any source other than the state or federal government. Matching grant funds of up to $150,000 will be available. Depending on funding availability, an amount equal to 50 percent of the new public revenue committed to the local housing trust fund from any source other than the state or federal government that is more than $150,000 but not more than $300,000 may also be available. State matching funds must be used within five years of receipt.

According to the funding law, funds in a local or regional housing trust fund may be used only to:

(1) pay for administrative expenses, but not more than ten percent of the balance of the fund may be spent on administration;
(2) make grants, loans, and loan guarantees for the development, rehabilitation, or financing of housing;
(3) match other funds from federal, state, or private resources for housing projects; or
(4) provide down payment assistance, rental assistance, and home buyer counseling services.

Upcoming Redevelopment Events

$8 million in public funding for clean-up and contamination remediation will be available this fall. Learn more about these grant and loan funding opportunities at the following three programs.

Brownfield Financial Literacy
Minnesota Brownfields will be offering an educational forum, Brownfield Financial Literacy on September 7. The program will have speakers from federal, state and local government giving updates on the current public funding sources available for brownfield redevelopment. Information on funding in the federal infrastructure law and the criteria associated with community-based projects will also be provided.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022
8 am - 1 pm
Barr Engineering Co.
4300 MarketPointe Dr. Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55435
Registration Details

Brownfield Funding for Redevelopment in Minnesota - Webinar
Cities are invited to learn about local public grants and loans that help pay the cost of cleaning up contaminated sites often known as brownfields. More than $8 million in grant funds (and low-cost loans) will be available this fall.

In the metropolitan area, there are multiple sources of funding to remediate contaminated sites. This event will have panelists representing: Hennepin and Ramsey counties, the Metropolitan Council, and the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Cities, counties, or economic development, housing and redevelopment, and port authorities are eligible to apply. (For-profit and nonprofit organizations looking for help dealing with contamination with real estate redevelopment are encouraged to work with public agencies to apply.)

Funders are interested in helping redevelopment that will increase the local tax base, add jobs or affordable housing units, and leverage private investment while avoiding costly new public infrastructure. Grants are competitive. Learn about different financing options available to clean up:
petroleum contamination, soil contamination, soil vapor contamination, groundwater contamination, asbestos and hazardous materials. Prior grants have helped make apartment, office, retail, and industrial development on formerly contaminated sites safe and financially sound.

Webinar details
Thursday, September 8, 2022
12:30 – 2:00 pm
Webex link

Event number: 2485 626 0350
Event password: Brownfields2022 (27696343 from phones)

Join by phone:
1-855-282-6330 (toll free)
1-415-655-0003
Phone access code: 2485 626 0350

Brownfield Funding Application – Ask Me Anything
If your city is interested in applying for these county, state or regional brownfield funds, hear detailed guidance on how to fill out local brownfield redevelopment grant applications from panelists representing: Hennepin County, the Metropolitan Council, and DEED.

Webinar details
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
10:30 am – 12 pm
Webex link

Webinar number: 2495 720 2237
Webinar password: BF-App-2022 (23027702 from phones)

Join by phone
1-855-282-6330 United States Toll Free
+1-415-655-0003 United States Toll

Access code: 2495 720 2237

August Policy Committee Meetings

Next week marks the second round of legislative policy committees, with meetings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Committees will be held in a hybrid format that allows attendance in person as well as virtually. Policy committees will host speakers and consider modifications to Metro Cities’ legislative policies. If you have not yet signed up and are interested in the policy process please see our website, www.MetroCitiesMN.org for more information, or contact Jennifer Dorn at [email protected].