The city of Russellville has gathered enough responses for an income survey to apply for a Community Development Block Grant.
At the Russellville Board of Aldermen meeting Thursday night, City Clerk Jan Wyatt told the board the city received the necessary response rate to submit the $500,000 grant request.
The grant would provide funds for stormwater drainage and street improvements on Marion Street and parts of Route C, as well as other projects.
Working with Mid Missouri Regional Planning Commission, the city collected 80 percent of current residents' anonymous responses to an income survey.
To qualify for funds, 51 percent or more of residents needed to fit in the low- to moderate-income range based on new requirements from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides funds for CDBG projects.
CDBG defines low to moderate income for a family of one as earning no more than $40,050; the maximum qualifying income for a four-person household is $57,200.
MMRPC Executive Director David Bock said Russellville met the requirement of 51 percent. Officials were unable to give the exact percentage of Russellville residents whose income fell in the low to moderate range based on the surveys at the time of publication.
The application deadline was extended to Thursday due to changes during the application timeline, he said.
The city began the survey process in March, offering residents a $3 credit on their April water bill in exchange for a response.
Within four months, surveys trickled in. The city spent $350 on various mailing costs, Wyatt said. Aldermen went door to door to obtain signatures in June and July.
MMRPC is optimistic Russellville will receive the grant, Bock said.
The city received a $220,000 Cole County Commission grant last August, which officials plan to use as a match for the CDBG grant. This could work in the city's favor, Bock said.
Mayor Sharon Morgan said Russellville will also contribute $7,000 in cash and $500 in time and labor by city crews with the grant funds to make up the balance.
Responses for the survey can be used for additional projects for the next three years.