§ 143B-437.04.  Community development block grants.

(a) The Department of Commerce shall adopt guidelines for the awarding of Community Development Block Grants to ensure that:

(1) No local match is required for grants awarded for projects located in counties that have one of the 25 highest rankings under G.S. 143B-437.08.

(2) To the extent practicable, priority consideration for grants is given to projects located in counties that have met the conditions of subdivision (a)(1) of this section or in urban progress zones that have met the conditions of subsection (b) of this section.

(3) Priority consideration is given to projects located in areas annexed by a municipality under Article 4A of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes in order to provide water or sewer services to low-income residents. For purposes of this section, low-income residents are those with a family income that is eighty percent (80%) or less of median family income.

(b) In order to qualify for the benefits of this section, after an area is designated an urban progress zone under G.S. 143B-437.09, the governing body of the city in which the zone is located must adopt a strategy to improve the zone and establish an urban progress zone committee to oversee the strategy. The strategy and the committee must conform with requirements established by the Secretary of Commerce. (1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 13, s. 3.6; 1997-456, s. 27; 1998-55, s. 3; 2006-252, s. 2.5; 2007-323, s. 13.18(h); 2011-396, s. 11.1; 2018-5, s. 15.2(e).)