Some residents in Mount Angel may have recently received a survey in the mail or a knock on the door asking for household income information.
It’s no scam. The City of Mount Angel is hoping to apply for a federal grant to rebuild Railroad Avenue. In order to qualify, the affected neighborhood must meet certain income requirements.
Around 60 households along Railroad Avenue and Marion Court received letters in mid-to-late June asking about the total families in each house and the total income for each family. Later in the month the city began in-person followup for the households who had yet to reply.
City Manager Mark Daniel said they’re being thorough because a large amount of funding is at stake. The grant is through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“We’re going through all this to make sure we have access to significant grant funds,” Daniel told the Mount Angel City Council June 5.
The council is expected to hear a report about the survey during its July 3 meeting.
If the income survey shows the city would qualify for the grant, they would then move forward with an environmental review for the project. If all hurdles are cleared, they plan to apply for the grant by December.
To keep the process on track, the city hopes to complete the income survey by mid-July with plans to proactively engage respondents to make sure this deadline is met.
– Stephen Floyd
