A referendum question on the April 2nd ballot asking city of Brodhead residents to OK borrowing to fund a new senior/community center won’t mean much now that a state grant that was vital to the project has been rescinded.
The state withdrew a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant awarded last year for the project because the city’s project plans showed “significant deviations” from the original project.
Brodhead Mayor Doug Pinnow said the city got word in a letter Thursday from the state’s Division of Energy, Housing, and Community Resources rescinding the grant it had awarded the city in August 2018.
Pinnow said the city learned the grant was rescinded too late to alter the referendum question. He said the city council approved the referendum question for the ballot in January after city officials checked with state officials on the language of the question.
Word the grant was being rescinded didn’t come until weeks later.
