Mesa residents are invited to provide feedback on how the city allocates federal funds to local community programs, as a public comment period for the proposed Fiscal Year 2026/2027 Annual Action Plan opened on Mar. 31 and runs through April 30, 2026.
The Annual Action Plan outlines specific activities recommended for funding under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) programs. These funds are used to support public services, housing initiatives, and community development projects that benefit low- and moderate-income residents.
The plan proposes using approximately $3.68 million in CDBG entitlement funds, $340,016 in ESG entitlement funds, $1.29 million in HOME entitlement funds, and $5.33 million in reprogrammed HOME funds for eligible activities consistent with Mesa’s Five-Year Consolidated Plan. An electronic copy of both the Five-Year Consolidated Plan (covering housing and non-housing community development needs from 2025-2029) and the current Annual Action Plan is available online for review.
Written comments can be submitted by mail to Michelle Albanese at the Community Services Department or via email at COMCDPublicComment@mesaaz.gov until April 30 at 6 p.m., when all feedback will be considered before City Council votes on May 4, 2026. The fiscal year begins July 1, with final documents due to HUD by established deadlines.
Mesa has participated in these federal grant programs for decades—48 years with CDBG, 36 years with ESG, and 32 years with HOME—and has received over $106 million to deliver essential services to those earning less than eighty percent of area median income.
Community engagement is a key part of Mesa’s approach to decision-making according to the official website. The city supports its population of more than 515,000 people as the thirty-sixth largest city in the United States according to the official website. Essential services provided include public safety, utilities, parks, arts and culture programming, libraries, and airport operations according to the official website.
Mesa operates under a council-manager government structure where citizens elect a mayor along with six council members; administrative functions are overseen by a city manager according to the official website. The incorporated city spans about one hundred thirty-eight square miles within metropolitan Phoenix according to the official website, having adopted this form of government since its establishment in the mid-twentieth century according to the official website.
