>> ERIC: THIS WEEK, THE WALZ ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED $23 MILLION OF GRANT MONEY WILL BE DIVVIED UP AMONG CITIES IN GREATER MINNESOTA.

THE GRANTS WILL HELP THOSE COMMUNITIES IMPROVE RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, OR PUBLIC FACILITIES WITH FEDERAL FUNDS ADMINISTERED BY THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

HERE TO TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW THOSE $23 MILLION WILL BE SPENT, KEVIN MCKINNON, DEED'S DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

COMMISSIONER, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE COMMON USES FOR THIS SPOKEN IN >> WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT.

WE'RE OBVIOUSLY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS YEAR'S GRANTS AND SOME OF THE USES OF THIS MONEY, THERE'S BASICALLY TWO TYPES, THREE TYPES OF GRANTS WE DO.

ONE FOR IMPROVING HOUSING, ONE TO IMPROVE RENTAL REHABILITATION PROPERTY AND REHABILITATE PROPERTIES AND THEN THE THIRD IS PUBLIC FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS.

SO A LOT OF THIS MONEY WOULD BE TO USE AND IMPROVE EITHER OWNER-OCCUPIED PROJECTS, SUCH AS MULTIFAMILY OR INDIVIDUAL FAMILY HOMES.

LOTS OF IMPROVEMENTS SUCH AS HVAC, ELECTRICAL, LEAD PAINT REMEDIATION, ET CETERA.

SOME OF THE MONEY CAN BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT, SO THINK RETAIL SHOPS DOWNTOWN, FACADE IMPROVEMENTS, EXTERIOR SIGNS, BUILDING CODE ISSUES, ET CETERA.

AND THEN, FINALLY, PUBLIC FACILITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS THAT SERVES LARGER NEIGHBORHOODS OR COMMUNITIES AND, SO, YOU MAY HAVE COMMUNITY CENTERS, STREETSCAPES OR SOME OF THE WASTE WATER TREATMENT PROJECTS THAT WE WOULD DO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A FEW OTHER AGENCIES.

>> Cathy: SO THAT IS A.

ALTHOUGH THAT'S A BIG LAUNDRY LIST -- SO THAT IS A LOT.

THAT'S A BIG LAUNDRY LIST.

ARE THESE ONE-TIME GRANTS?

YOU CAN OBVIOUSLY TAKE MONEY, FIX SOMETHING UP, BUT YOU MIGHT NEED SOME MAINTENANCE.

ONE-TIME GRANTS OR ARE THEY GRANTS OVER SEVERAL YEARS?

>> THESE GRANTS, BASICALLY THE GRANTEES HAVE ROUGHLY THREE YEARS TO COMPLETE THEIR PROJECTS.

WE'VE BEEN ACTUALLY RUNNING THIS PROGRAM SINCE 1981, SO EVERY YEAR WE AWARD ROUGHLY ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, A LOT OF THE GRANTEES ARE VERY VERY SMALL COMMUNITIES.

THAT'S BECAUSE WE DEAL WITH NONENTITLEMENT COMMUNITIES, AND BASICALLY THROUGH THE HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, HE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM BASICALLY WORKS WITH ENTITLEMENT AND NONENTITLEMENT COMMUNITIES.

THE NONENTITLEMENT COMMUNITIES STATES CAN ADMINISTER THAT FOR THE MAJORITY OF CITIES IN THEIR STATES.

BUT THEN THERE'S ENTITLEMENT COMMUNITIES, SO LIKE THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS OR THE CITY OF St. PAUL, DULUTH, ROCHESTER, OR COUNTIES LIKE ANOKA, DAKOTA, ET CETERA, THEY ALL GET THEIR OWN FUNDING AND ALLOCATION FROM HUD FOR SIMILAR TYPES OF PROJECTS.

WE DEAL WITH BASICALLY EVERYBODY ELSE THAT'S NONENTITLEMENT.

>> Eric: THE COVID MONEY IS PHASING OUT, BUT I WONDER HOW THIS DOVETAILS WITH THE RECORD-SETTING BONDING BILL THAT THE LEGISLATURE PASSED LAST TIME.

>> YEAH, THAT'S ACTUALLY A GOOD POINT.

AS I MENTIONED, WE'VE BEEN GETTING ROUGHLY ANYWHERE FROM 16 TO $25 MILLION A YEAR FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS OR SO.

FOR THIS PROGRAM.

A FEW YEARS AGO, WE DID RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL $36 MILLION FOR COVID RELIEF AS WELL, SO WE'VE BEEN ADMINISTERING A NUMBER OF PROJECTS ACROSS THE STATE FOR THAT USE AS WELL.

BUT, YOU'RE RIGHT, SPECIFICALLY IN THIS BONDING BILL, THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY FOR HOUSING, PARTICULARLY AT MAFA.

THE ISSUE THERE IS A LOT OF -- IS NEW HOUSING.

WE'RE DEALING WITH A LOT OF EXISTING STOCK.

SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT IMPROVING THE HOMES AND THE MAIN STREETS OF SOME OF THESE SMALL COMMUNITIES, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PLACES TO GO FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.

SO THIS IS A PRETTY IMPORTANT PROGRAM FOR OUR VERY SMALL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE.

>> Eric: NOT SEXY BUT IMPORTANT, I GUESS YOU'D SAY, HUH?

>> Cathy: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.