Jackson Township will receive roughly $100,000 a year in grant funds for projects to aid low- to moderate-income households as a result of 2020 census.

Because Jackson’s population in the 2020 census rose above 4,000 residents — the township’s population grew from 3,657 in 2010 to 4,883 in 2020 — it will receive funds via the state’s Small Cities Program, which provides monies to communities to help low- to moderate-income neighborhoods and to tackle housing blight.

Butler County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a contract with Mullin & Lonergan Associates Inc. a Pittsburgh-based community development firm, to provide services on behalf of Jackson for the Small Cities Program.

Wendy Leslie, the county’s Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, coordinator, said Jackson will likely receive about $102,000 annually through the Small Cities Program, which the state administers using federal CDBG funds.

There are two major categories for which Jackson can use the monies, according to Leslie. First, about 70% should be utilized for projects that help low- to moderate-income individuals, households and neighborhoods; the remaining 30%, Leslie said, should go toward fighting housing blight.

Jackson township manager Chris Rearick said the township will likely receive between $70,000 and $80,000 after administrative and engineering expenses. He added a third category for which Small Cities funding is eligible — improving accessibility in public areas, like parks — but said Jackson likely cannot qualify any expenditures for that category.

“It’s just a matter of identifying projects that would fit,” he said.

One potential project involves infrastructure with water lines. One benefit of a water line project, Rearick said, is the township may be able to use Small Cities funds for parts of the project should they benefit income-eligible individuals. Sometimes, Rearick said, other types of projects must fully benefit low- to moderate-income households to be eligible for Small Cities funding.

“We’re looking at water-line projects that we’re able to partner with neighboring authorities on, if we’re able to assist seniors or low- to moderate-income individuals,” Rearick said.

One potential issue is the number of Jackson residents who may qualify for such funding.

“It’s difficult because Jackson Township is relatively more affluent than some older communities,” Rearick said.

To be an eligible expense through the Small Cities program, a project must benefit someone whose income is below 80% of the “area median income.” Because Butler County is in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area, the upper limit is $53,100 for an individual, or $75,850 for a family of four.

But the median household income in Jackson, according to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, is $106,250 — itself more than $10,000 higher than the Pittsburgh area’s median household income.

Six communities in Butler County now receive Small Cities funding. In addition to Jackson, the county handles administrative services for Penn, Jefferson, Slippery Rock and Summit townships. The City of Butler provides its own administration for the program.