LAKE FOREST : Plan to Deliver Grants Gets Initial Approval

The City Council this week gave preliminary approval to a plan for distributing about $458,000 in federal grants next year.

Known as community block development grants, the federal funds help low- and moderate-income residents repair and improve their homes. The program also supplies funding to local nonprofit service groups.

The proposal passed 3 to 0, with Councilman Peter Herzog abstaining because he wanted more time to study the matter. Citing a potential conflict of interest, Councilwoman Kathryn McCullough also did not vote because she runs a Mission Viejo food bank that could be eligible for grant funding.

Mayor Richard T. Dixon criticized the cost of administering the federal program, saying he was “personally uncomfortable with going to $91,000. It seems a tad high.” But Dixon’s concerns were eased after city staff promised a detailed breakdown of expenses.

Councilwoman Ann Van Haun questioned a federal census map that designated affluent areas of Lake Forest as eligible for assistance. “I don’t think their figures are accurate,” she said. “It just makes me really nervous.”

Staff members explained that to change the map the city would have to conduct its own door-to-door survey--a move Van Haun agreed would be too costly.