Morganton meetings next week to focus on federal grants, city budget

Morganton residents will have an opportunity next week to weigh in on how the city distributes federal grant funding, while also being able to observe city council’s early discussions on the upcoming budget.

At 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, staff will hold a meeting to receive public comments for the Fiscal Year 2026 Action Plan as part of the city’s five-year Consolidated Plan, which outlines how the city wants to award grant funding to several areas, including small businesses, nonprofits, public facilities and infrastructure, and administration.

The public meeting is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and comments will identify the community’s needs, outline goals, and develop the action plan for 2026, which will start July 1 and end June 30, 2027, when the fiscal year ends.

In 2025, the city received $242,470 to disperse. Of the funding, $90,000 went to small business grants, $30,000 to nonprofits, $79,976 to public facilities and improvements, and $42,494 for administration.

Grants for businesses can address construction/renovations, inventory, equipment, land and building purchases, and operating capital. The most recent businesses to receive grants were The Madness Sushi, Burger & Bar, and Town Tavern. The most recent nonprofit recipients were Meeting Place Mission, Brighter House, Options, Olive Hill Community Economic Development Corporation, and The House of Refuge.

For those who cannot attend the meeting, staff will be accepting comments until March 16. For more information, contact Jennifer Cannon, director of grants and loans with Western Piedmont Council of Governments, at 828-485-4250.

From 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, city council will hold its winter budget workshop at the Morganton Community House. The workshop is open to the public, but no public comments will be taken as a public hearing will be scheduled later in June.

For the first half of the day, council members typically hear presentations from the city’s department heads, which include public safety, Main Street and CoMMA, public works, parks and recreation, water resources, CoMPAS Cable, and electric services.

Presentations include funding requests for capital improvement projects for the upcoming fiscal year, according to Jonelle Sigmon, public information officer for the city. Typically during the second half of the day, department heads take council members on a field trip around the city to see the progress of their current projects.

The budget will officially be approved in mid-June after hearing comments from the public. The new fiscal year will begin on July 1, and last until June 30, 2027.