OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The final public hearing for Community Services annual action plan for fiscal year 2025-2026 was held Aug. 5, 2025, and the Marion County Board of County Commissioners unanimously passed approval for the plan, with a 5-0 vote.
The annual action plan has no impact on the Marion County annual budget.
The public hearing was to gather feedback on the final draft of the annual action plan for the forthcoming fiscal year, detailing the annual amount.
No one spoke in favor or in opposition to the plan at the public hearing prior to the vote.
The county receives federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which includes the Community Block Development Grant, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and Emergency Solutions Grant. Marion County receives CBDG and ESG funds directly from HUD as an entitlement county. However, the county administers the HOME funds as a HOME participating jurisdiction, and this is done on behalf of the Marion County Consortium, which is a partnership between the county serving as the lead entity, one that includes the City of Ocala, who participates as a member.
An annual action plan must be created by Marion County so they will be eligible to receive the funds. The plan itself identifies objectives for the program year, what the county’s anticipated resources will be and the projects and activities the county will carry out during the course of the year to attain these objectives. The plan itself is updated on an annual basis.
The annual action plan is a component in a larger 5-year plan, referred to as the Consolidated Plan, and identifies Marion County’s housing goals and priorities, special populations and community development needs. This year’s plan is the second year of the larger scale 5-year plan.
There are five goals in this year’s annual action plan.
Goal 1 – Owner Occupied Rehabilitation- by providing home repairs to low-income owner-occupied homes to include emergency repairs and ADA compliant accessibility.
• Objective – Provide Decent Affordable Housing
• Outcome – Sustainability
• Specific Outcome Indicator – 25 Homeowner Housing Units Rehabilitated
Goal 2 – Clearance/Demolition – demolition of abandoned-dilapidated, vacant housing.
• Objective – Provide Decent Affordable Housing
• Outcome – Affordability
• Specific Outcome Indicator – Removal of five structures
Goal 3- Acquisition acquire property suitable for the development of affordable housing units.
• Objective – Provide Decent Affordable Housing
• Outcome – Affordability
• Specific Outcome Indicator – Acquire two lots for the purpose of creating affordable housing units for rent or homeownership
Goal 4 – Planning and Administration- Program administration
• Objective – Provide Decent Affordable Housing
• Outcome – Sustainability
• Specific Outcome Indicator – General Program Administration
Goal 5 – Public Services- provide assistance to a local non-profit to increase or maintain capacity to serve low-income residents.
• Objective – Low- to- Moderate Individual Benefit
• Outcome – Quality of Life
• Specific Outcome Indicator – Assist organizations with repairs to their building that serves low-income families