DECATUR - At a special meeting today, city staff will ask residents for direct input on how they should allocate millions of dollars in federal funding for local programs.

The action plan meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Decatur Public Library.

In a news release, city staff said the annual action plan defines which new programs will be created or existing programs expanded to meet community needs for the upcoming year.

In past years, the city has received as much as $2 million from the federal government and used it for roof and emergency home repair, lead removal, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, literacy and homebuyer and emergency grant programs, and others such as energy-efficiency renovations and handicap accessibility.

Neighborhood Programs Director Vicki Buckingham said the meeting is part of the city's current five-year plan to use the federal money. Buckingham said the city is running off of a plan drafted in 2005; it holds annual meetings to assess what programs have been working and should be continued and if there is a need for new programs.

Buckingham said the funding goes to all sorts of places, including the Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations.

"We work with a lot of agencies," Buckingham said. "It reaches out beyond just this office."

Darsonya Switzer of the Decatur Housing Authority coordinates the Resident Opportunities for Self Sufficiency jobs program, which helps people having trouble finding work or staying employed. Switzer said she hopes the city will invest in such programs.

"I think the city of Decatur, trying to provide funding for services of that nature, will definitely see an improvement in the work force within Decatur," she said.

Switzer said cultivating a ready work force should encourage businesses to come to Decatur.

"If we have the work force, we can bring the jobs here and individuals can become employed, which is very beneficial to the community as a whole," she said.

Switzer said people in housing programs like Section 8 or assistance for the homeless also would benefit greatly from any additional funding.

A public hearing on the city's draft of the plan is scheduled in January. Work will begin in spring on a new five-year plan to cover the city's federal funding from 2010 through 2014.

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