Аудит городских средств развития в Дубуа завершен без нарушений, проверка данных Сэнди-Тауншип продолжается

DuBOIS — The DuBois Redevelopment Authority completed its audit of the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for fiscal years 2021-22 without any findings, according to Executive Director Joe Mitchell. Mitchell provided the DuBois City Council with the authority’s July activity report during last week’s council meeting, highlighting grant applications, CDBG administration, economic development efforts and support for city operations. “The biggest thing over last month is the CDBG audits,” Mitchell told council. “I’m happy to say that our ‘20 through ‘22 city audit went off without a hitch. We got a letter saying that everything was good with it.” Mitchell said work remains on the CDBG audit covering Sandy Township from 2016 through 2022. “We’re still working through the 2016 through ‘22 Sandy Township audits, which have proven some difficulties,” he said. The audit has been complicated in part by the age of the records and changes in city management, Mitchell said. “We’re dating back to even a couple managers passed,” he said. “And with moving all the file systems around and everything, it’s proved to be a little more difficult than an audit normally should be, but we’re working our way through it.” The Redevelopment Authority’s July report stated that the city portion of the CDBG audit was officially completed with no findings, while work continues with state representatives on the former township’s audit. Mitchell also reported that the authority began working with Urban Design Ventures to launch the city’s fiscal year 2026 CDBG entitlement process. The first FY2026 public CDBG hearing was held during July. Grant activityThe authority submitted or received funding for several projects during July. Among them was a WalkWorks grant supporting active transportation and community accessibility. The authority also submitted a Multimodal Transportation Fund grant application for municipal paving projects on Hoover Avenue and Division Street. Other grant activity included a Byrne Justice Assistance Grant application submitted on behalf of the DuBois Police Department and a Mengle Foundation grant application seeking support for fire department projects. The authority also began investigating state and federal energy-efficiency grant opportunities for municipal buildings. Economic developmentMitchell told council the authority is working on several economic development opportunities, although he said details could not yet be disclosed. “We also have a couple great economic development things going on right now,” Mitchell said. “Some really big ones that we can’t talk about just yet, but we really have our fingers crossed that those are going to come to fruition and really benefit the city.” The July report also noted that Mitchell met with current and potential businesses to discuss expansion opportunities, project viability and development support. The authority continued discussions with representatives from the DuBois Area School District and Clearfield County regarding implementation of the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance, or LERTA, program. Other city supportMitchell also reported continuing administrative work to resolve state account alignment issues and update state identification designations following the consolidation of DuBois and Sandy Township. He held a briefing with newly appointed city Manager Joe Fleming to review current and pending projects and assisted city staff with organizational setup and transitional matters related to the newly formed Recreational Authority. The Redevelopment Authority also provided technical assistance to the Finance Department regarding specialized program budgets and funding streams. Mitchell said Shawn Arbaugh, who was involved in the audit work, continues to assist with the Sandy Township records. The authority’s monthly report also noted that Mitchell attended regularly scheduled city council meetings during July as part of his ongoing support of city initiatives.