Local non-profit agencies in Akron will see a dip in federal funding through Community Development Block Grant money.

Akron City Council approved the 2012 federal block grant funding structure at its meeting on Monday night.

Councilman-at-large Jeff Fusco says it'll be a drop for the agencies this year of about 15 percent, passed down due to lower federal funding.

"This represent the same amount of cuts, if you will, that the federal government had provided to us," Fusco tells AkronNewsNow.com. "So, we're just basically passing it on to these various organizations that conduct services (for the community).

Fusco says he expects the federal government's funding to be flat - at best - for next year, and hopes there are no further cuts in the offing.

"The current budget as proposed by President Obama leaves the Community Development Block Grant funding level for next year," Fusco says.  But he says that budget is just proposed, and hopes it isn't reduced in the future.

Summit County Council is going ahead with the process of figuring out how to spend next year's Community Development Block Grant money.

The plan being considered by council for 2012 is very similar to the 2011 spending plan, with $909,000 from the federal fund going to both services - social programs like those funded last year - and capital projects around the county.

Jason Dodson, chief of staff for county executive Russ Pry, gives some examples.

"We're funding an ADA restroom down at Springfield Lake Park, a water line in the city of Stow," Dodson tells AkronNewsNow, "a septic replacement program, some of the handicap-accessible curb ramps in the city of Mogadore."

One other part of the plan is something Pry talked about in his state of the county event - a revolving loan fund to help jumpstart job creation.

"That will allow loans for small businesses, in order to hire an additional low or moderate income person or people," Dodson says, "as far as bringing on some operational capital to bring that person on board."

The county also gets some $400,000 of federal "HOME" partnership money. That'll be used to do things like help new homebuyers with down payments, and to fund neighborhood home rehabilitation projects.