Elevate Branson questioned over grant funding

Local charity Elevate Branson is in the hot seat after a meeting of the Branson Board of Alderman raised questions about their fundraising and lack of visible results from past grant funding.

A special meeting of the board was held at Branson City Hall regarding requests from area developers and organizations for letters of city support and regarding grant requests for building projects. City leaders were looking for viable solutions to issues regarding a lack of affordable housing for working families in the city.

“Obviously, our community is dealing a lot with availability of affordable housing,” Branson Chief of Staff Alex Girard told the aldermen. “This is an important step to address that, to do our part as a city, and to partner with private entities and the development community to make this a reality.”

The funds being sought in grants are Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Relief funding. The money was appropriated by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development related to flooding and straight-line wind damage in 2017. The nearly $25 million in federal grant funding is focused on long-term recovery matters and infrastructure.

The reason for the letters from the city is the actual applicant for the grants is the city of Branson, not the partnering developers or organizations.

“The city is the applicant, so it’s the city’s credibility and it’s the city’s responsibility to administer these grants in partnership with SMCOG (Southwest Missouri Council of Governments), our regional partner,” Girard said. “Ultimately, though, it’s the city who is signing on the dotted line for these funds.”

Ultimately, all of the alderman voted to indefinitely postpone the agenda item, meaning additional money wasn't granted.

The full article is available at bransontrilakesnews.com.

(Story by Jason Wert, bransontrilakesnews.com)