WHAT'S # HAPPENING
Free Copy OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HIGH POINT MODEL CITY COMMISSION February 2,1973
Nixon Budget Being Studied
Pray Optimistic Despite Announcement
That Model Cities Money To Be Frozen
CECIL BROWN
Brown To Develop
Evaluation System
Within City Hall
With the transfer of Cecil A. Brown
from the Model Cities staff to the
new Community Development Divi
sion of the City of High Point, the
first step was accomplished in the
blending of Model Cities functions
into city government.
Brown, information and evaluation
specialist for Model Cities since June
1970, assumed his duties as evalua
tion director of the newly-organized
Evaluation and Management Infor
mation Section on January 22.
His transfer was formally acted
upon by the Model City Commission
at its February 1 meeting.
As evaluation director for the City,
Brown will also retail his function as
I&E director for the Model Cities
staff.
In going to City Hall, Brown is
expected to develop an information-
gathering and evaluation system for
the City as it enters the first phase
of revenue-sharing and Community
Development fund spending.
Revenue sharing is a new funding
technique passed in the last session of
Congress. One of the stipulations of
the federal government in the spend
ing of those monies, and those to be
channeled to cities through the pro
posed Community Development pro
gram, is that projects must be evalu
ated.
Others in the Model Cities I&E
Division — actually operated as a
project separate from the administra
tive staff of the agency — are expected
to follow Brown eventually to City
Hall. The absorption of this function,
as well as that of planning, is antic
ipated as Model Cities phases out its
operations in the future.
Brown earned both B.S. and M.S.
degrees from A&T State University,
Greensboro. Before joining the Model
Cities staff, he was project director of
the Neighborhood Youth Corps in
Guilford County.
Wayne S. Pray, executive director
of Model Cities, in speaking about
Brown’s transfer, said he was “very
pleased. This was a planned, logical
step that was always envisioned as
Model Cities functions were spun off
into the city government structure.”
The $1.77 million question around
High Point these days is “What’s go
ing to happen to Model Cities?”
The question naturally arose as a
result of the recent announcement by
the White House that funds for spe
cial projects such as low-income hous
ing, Urban Renewal and Model Cities
will be cut off begiiming July 1.
It was retiring Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) Secretary George
Romney who voiced the freeze of
funds for these areas during Fiscal
Year 1974, which starts July 1.
High Point, whose Model Cities
receives an annual $1.77 million grant
from HUD, begins its fiscal years on
August 1.
There has been speculation that
since High Point’s implementation
date comes after the cut-off date, the
local Model Cities program is in
trouble.
The truth is, nobody knows for sure.
Wayne S. Pray, executive director
for the Model City Commission, ad
mits that no one has been given offi
cial notice about what to expect in
the months ahead. What’s left, he
says, are only “guess-timates.”
And until President Nixon’s budget,
presented at the end of January, is
A delightful man with a firm hand
shake and a big, warm heart has just
stepped down as chairman of the
Crime and Juvenile Delinquency Task
Force.
Lloyd Hughes is his name, and love
for people is his motto.
Hughes began his association when
Model Cities task forces were organ
ized in 1969.
At the outset, he was interested
mainly in housing needs. His activities
in this area stemmed from a previous
group called Concerned Citizens,
which he helped organize to tackle
the housing shortage in High Point.
He was shifted from the Housing
Task Force to the Crime and Juvenile
Delinquency Task Force after a short
while, however, because the latter
“needed warm bodies, I suppose.”
Hughes’ support in that area hasn’t
waivered since.
A partner in the Hughes-Rankin
Company, an institutional furnishings
supplier, Lloyd Hughes hesitates ei
ther to pick favorite projects or to
take credit for the development of
any of them.
“As chairman, I shouldn’t pick out
pets,” he says, “but if I had to choose.
I’d say programs that assist the courts
in handling cases involving juvenile
delinquents or potential delinquents.”
Examples of some of the projects
in the area of crime and delinquency
are Youth Services Bureau and Youth
reviewed, studied and interpreted by
HUD officials, the fate of Model Cities
programs such as High Point’s will
remain a mystery.
Pray, however, is optimistic.
He believes that there will be no
new money requested for programs
such as Urban Renewal and Model
Cities in Fiscal Year 1974 (beginning
July 1). On the other hand, Congress
is expected to approve several special
revenue sharing packages, including
Community Development, during its
current session.
These new enactments would go
into effect beginning Fiscal Year 1975
(July 1, 1974).
LEFT-OVER MONEY
In the meantime. Model Cities pro
grams throughout the country whose
own fiscal years begin after July 1,
1973 (including High Point), could
draw on monies left over from the
current Fiscal Year budget.
By that time, 1974, new sources of
funds would probably be available
through the new revenue sharing bills.
Even though some cutbacks in
budgets are almost inevitable, accord
ing to Pray, existing appropriations
could still sustain those Model Cities
Outreach, which gives judges an al
ternative to sending boys to training
school.
“As a task force, we’ve only sur
veyed, expressed interest, and ap
proved projects before they’re sent on
the Commission,” he explains
PROFESSIONAL HELP
Hughes says his task force has al
ways enjoyed “excellent staff support,
which we couldn’t do without.” So
cial planner Gloria Haynes, who
works directly with the group,” has
been helpful, always informed, and
keenly interested — a professional,”
according to Hughes. “She is a very
which need money until the new
revenue sharing funds start flowing
from Washington.
Pray referred to “informal agree
ments” with the area HUD office in
Greensboro, which acts as a liaison
between the local Model Cities office
and the large Atlanta HUD head
quarters. Although no one within the
federal department has received offi
cial word, it is the feeling of local
leaders that there will be money left
over from Fiscal Year 1973 (ending
June 30, 1973) to fund High Point’s
Fouth Year Plan at least in part.
Regardless of the level of funding
for the Fourth Year Plan, says Pray,
“the Model City Commission will
continue to develop strategies to spin
off the process and our projects.
“We anticipate working closely with
City Council so that the Fourth Year
budget will support and not overlap
High Point’s budget and the new rev
enue sharing budget, which is in the
initial stages.”
Pray said meetings were already
scheduled to brief city officials on the
anticipated federal budget reductions
once the President’s budget is inter
preted by Greensboro HUD person
nel.
necessary part of the task force. We
lean on her.”
Hughes is resigning as chairman
“because I’m tired. But I intend to
remain as a part of the task force,”
he goes on.
What does he feel is the role of
the task force in the community?
“Well, I believe a task force could
be assertive and instrumental in fur
thering programs, but they don’t al
ways do this. A task force could be
strong. . . . But those on a task
force are not always the ones who
need to be involved, or who can
(Continued on page 2)
LLOYD HUGHES
Active Task Force Chairman Lloyd Hughes:
Model Cities Good Place To “Clear the Air”