MANSFIELD — The executive director of the Richland County Regional Planning Commission said Thursday she is concerned about the potential loss of a local Metropolitan Statistical Area designation.
Jotika Shetty told county commissioners it’s too soon to tell how a potential bureaucratic decision by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget may impact the flow of federal grant money to the county.
She said loss of the MSA designation could result in the City of Mansfield and the county being required to compete with smaller communities for “smaller pieces of the pie.”
“Is it a case of the horse being let out of the barn in the future?” Shetty asked. “We just don’t have enough information yet to the know the funds it may impact.”
Currently, to be dubbed an MSA, a city anchoring the metro area needs to have a population of at least 50,000 people. Under the proposed change, that requirement would double to 100,000 people.
The MSA designation was created seven decades ago to delineate key population centers around the United States. The country’s population has swelled to more than 330 million people, more than double what it was in 1950, meaning what does and doesn’t count as an MSA may need to be updated, some in government believe.
Mansfield’s population, according to the U.S. Census slipped below 50,000 almost 15 years ago and is now around 46,600. But city officials almost a decade ago worked a deal with the feds to make sure Mansfield remained eligible for programs that benefit low- to moderate-income residents.
Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker during a recent City Council meeting, said the change could “extremely affect” federal funding.
Commissioner Darrell Banks said Thursday the change is directly aimed at smaller communities.
“(The federal government) wants to funnel more money to big cities and less to small communities,” Banks said. “(Removing the MSA designation) gives them the cover to do that.”
Shetty said she didn’t disagree with Banks.
“That’s the effect it’s going to cause. It’s going to have major consequences for smaller communities,” she said.
The MSA conversation came during an appearance by Shetty to announce the county will receive $280,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds in the next two-cycle, which begins in September and runs through August 2023.
It’s the same amount the county received during the previous two-year cycle. Shetty said she has been told it’s “probably” the final CDBG general allocation for the county as the federal government shifts toward all competitive grant requests.
The deadline for organizations to apply for the CDBG grants to regional planning is April 30. Shetty said the planning commission will host a workshop on the grant application process on April 1 at 9 a.m.
Also on Thursday, commissioners approved a $207,990 contract with Master Renovations Inc. to replace the roof at Dayspring, the county’s assisted living facility.
The Wayne County company had submitted the apparent low bid when seven bids were opened last week.
Mansfield architect Dan Seckel reviewed the bids and recommended that commissioners award the work to Master Renovations.
“In addition to being correct in technical form we have also reviewed the credentials presented by Master Renovations Inc. as submitted on their contractor’s qualification statement,” he said.
“In subsequent telephone calls and emails, the office controller has furnished names and references of proposed subcontractors and acknowledged full understanding of contract requirements, including Davis Bacon payroll requirements,” Seckel said.
The architect said Master Renovations is a general contractor and will use Absolute Assurance Restorations of Mansfield as a sub-contractor to do much of the actual roofing work.
