Utah County Commissioners have set an Oct. 10 meeting to discuss potential uses of millions of dollars of federal grant money, although it may not be clear by then how much money will be available for the grants.

Communities in Utah received $23 million in 2005 from what's known as the Community Development Block Grant program, or CDBG.

The money is used in a wide variety of local projects -- everything from streetlights and water and sewer improvements to funding for programs like Meals on Wheels and the Boys and Girls Club. Funds can also be used as matching funds for applying for larger grants.

The program, however, was targeted for a 25 percent cut in this year's White House budget proposal, although different proposals in Congress would restore most or all of that cut.

Those proposals are still pending. The House of Representatives appropriation would be $3.87 billion, while the Senate has proposed maintaining funding at $4.1 billion.

Congress should decide on a final number by Oct. 6, when the body is scheduled to adjourn for this year's elections, said Peter Carr, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

Hatch has lobbied against cutting CDBG funds, and other members of Congress support that stance.

"Take a look at the numbers -- $3.8 billion and $4.1 billion," Carr said. "Both of those are much higher than the president's recommendation of $3 billion."

Potential grant seekers can find out more at the meeting at 9 a.m. Oct. 10 in the Utah County Administration Building, 100 E. Center St. in Provo.

It's not yet clear what the appropriation would mean for local governments and agencies, said Paul Glauser, director of Provo's redevelopment agency.

"The word that we've gotten is that they are going to hold CDBG funding even or even raise it a little," he said. "What that translates into locally I don't know.

"If they were to follow through with what we're hearing, then the pie will be slightly bigger" -- and that's "better than it could be."

And there's no guarantee that Congress will settle on a figure in the coming weeks.

"Theoretically, they have to have it done pretty quickly," Glauser said. "But there have been years when they haven't had it done until after Christmas."

The Mountainland Association of Governments evaluates projects and dispenses CDBG funds for 35 communities in Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties. The cities of Provo and Orem pursue their funding independently.

A MAG workshop on the program last week was attended by several nonprofit groups as well as representatives of the cities of Cedar Fort, Eagle Mountain, Lehi, Alpine, Highland, American Fork, Lindon, Springville and Santaquin, said Heidi DeMarco, CDBG coordinator for MAG.

The interest was strong, but it's not known yet what projects these entities would like to fund.

"Until we get further in the process we don't know for sure," she said.

Alan Choate can be reached at 344-2556 or alanchoate@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.