City of Kankakee - Community Development Agency Livestream

The City of Kankakee Community Development Agency (CDA) Committee met on September 9, 2026, to discuss various community development programs and funding updates. Key procurement-related topics included updates on lead hazard control and healthy homes grants, with ongoing projects funded by 2022 and 2025 HUD grants. The committee reviewed active projects under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing rehab programs, including ARPA-funded initiatives, and discussed the need to finalize grant agreements to continue funding public service programs. They also considered proposed revisions to middle-income rehab assistance and rental rehab program guidelines, including increasing project cost limits from $20,000 to $30,000 and eliminating homeowner matching requirements to address increased lead testing and mitigation costs. The committee approved moving forward with these changes in principle, pending legal review and formal city council approval. Additionally, there was discussion about ensuring timely allocation and expenditure of ARPA funds to avoid returning unspent money, with approximately 12 projects worth of funds remaining to be allocated. No new contracts or vendor selections were announced, but the meeting focused on managing existing grants and program guidelines to optimize fund usage and project completion.