Cuts leave local cities scrambling

North Shore cities are scrambling to adjust community planning budgets after the federal budget deal last month slashed Community Development Block Grant funding next year by more than 16 percent.

In Salem, city officials are anticipating a drop of about $203,400 in community block grant funding from a year ago. Last year, the city received $1.245 million, and this year it expects about $1.04 million.

The cuts will most adversely impact low-income residents — those who can least afford it — because that's the population the block grants are designed to help.