City council’s April 4 meeting began with a public hearing on the 2023 Community Development Block Grants/Home Allocations.

Department of Housing and Urban Development is slightly increasing its funding allocation to the city for 2023. CDBG funds are up to $1,416, 201 from $1,391,666 in 2022. Twenty-four funding requests were made, but only 17 are being recommended for funding.

Home funds are up to $454,213 from $430,794 in 2022. Only four applications were submitted and will be funded.

City Clerk Robert Vidoni said, “Home projects are very complicated. They are heavily regulated and require a long lead time. Because of that, projects are accepted on a rolling basis.”

Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering Inc., Community Action Lehigh Valley, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley and Housing Rehabilitation are among the organizations earmarked for the funding.

Unfunded applicants are encouraged to reapply in the fall.

Resolutions approving the destruction of police and fire departments records, approval of a community mapping of crashes contract to Cedar Crest College were passed unanimously.

Public comments on non-agenda items lasted over an hour. Concerns over the Bethlehem landfill expansion and the proposed Hanover Apartments on West Broad Street continued to be raised.

Alex Hirsch again spoke to council about his ongoing parking situation. Some 263 days have now passed since he has been able to participate in the Residential Permit Parking Program, as he is a part-time resident.

Hirsch told the mayor, “I’m asking if you could please just take a moment this one time to intervene on my behalf, reach out to the director of the Parking Authority with a request that I be included within the special permit that already exists. Again, I don’t know the proper terminology so I apologize. I’m going to refer to it as Item F of Article 534 Section 6. That’s the ordinance about the residential parking permit and it’s again a special permit specifically for residents with the city who have out-of-state vehicles.”

Finally, Mayor William Reynolds hopes to extend the Sister City program to Puerto Rico, and a community survey will soon ask residents for feedback to inform the search process.

The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 2 at city hall.