Concerns about the potential loss of federal funding have been alleviated for now, but with millions of dollars on the line to support programs and services, Mahoning County community leaders are still watching closely.

The order to freeze federal loans and grants has been rescinded, the Trump Administration announced Wednesday. But the Associated Press reports the administration will continue to review all federal funding programs and their alignment with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Since Monday, community leaders have had to wonder what would become of federal dollars that support their cities and townships and those who call them home.

On Tuesday, Austintown Township Administrator Mark D’Apolito, at a press conference to discuss budget cuts that affect the police department, said the township had received notice that a $750,000 COPS grant through the U.S. Department of Justice was under review. The grant provides $250,000 per year to support the salaries and benefits of six Austintown police officers.

Amid concerns about staffing levels in the face of a shrinking budget, the loss of six patrol officers would make things even more challenging. The Trump administration’s decision to rescind the freeze order comes as a relief, but Austintown never seemed to be in jeopardy after all, officials said.

“I received an email from our police grant writer that he had filed our reimbursement prior to the freeze,” D’Apolito said. “Therefore, we still expect to receive $22,879.84 for the 2021 grant and $68,128.61 for the 2024 grant.”

He said the township’s fire department regularly applies for federal funding, but does not have any active grants now.

D’Apolito noted that the Mahoning County Drug Task Force and Mahoning County Human Trafficking Task Force — in which Austintown participates — also receive federal funding, although the township does not directly benefit from it.

Perhaps the most significant federal award in the county is the $47 million Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will allow Boardman to complete a massive infrastructure overhaul to eliminate flooding problems in the Cranberry Run watershed, including the area around Boardman Plaza.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday rescinded its call for a pause on payments for federal grants and other programs.

Boardman Township Trustee Larry Moliterno said said the impact of losing that funding would have been “pretty dramatic.”

“The FEMA grant is absolutely critical to our success and losing that would be devastating to the progress we’ve made,” he said.

Moliterno also is the CEO of Meridian HealthCare, which also receives federal funding to provide many of its services.

“We hope this all will pan out appropriately, and there will be some recognition of what these programs mean, not just to the local communities but also to the service providers in those communities,” he said.

For the city of Youngstown, federal funding comes predominantly from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the form of Community Development Black Grants.

Years ago, that money was used largely for demolishing dilapidated housing and neighborhood revitalization. City Finance Director Kyle Maisek said different federal sources routed through the state of Ohio now support those efforts, but the city still receives approximately $4 million per year in CDBG grants that go to many other city services.

Nikki Posterli, chief of staff and director of community planning and economic development, said the money supports any number of services related to housing.

“That’s how we employ our staff and it definitely impacts the quality of life for residents, social services and even our safety services, so it’s a crucial pot of funding for us here in the city of Youngstown,” she said.

Posterli said the funds are used to provide services for the homeless, those in need of special housing accommodations, and aiding residents with other issues that affect quality of life, through social and safety services.

Maisek said he was not concerned about the freeze, as it applied to the city, because the funding was not tied to what he believes is the administration’s focus – diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

“None of this is going to impact the City of Youngstown. We have no grants that would be in jeopardy, based on my understanding of what they’re targeting,” he said. “Anything could become an issue, but at the moment there’s nothing.”