ATTLEBORO - The Attleboro Redevelopment Authority wants to know how much money it will get from the city, and when it will get it, and voted to send a letter to Mayor Kevin Dumas to find out.

ARA officials said they need to know soon to complete their budget for fiscal year 2009, which begins on July 1.

It's been more than a month since the ARA lost a battle for part of the city's federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), but Dumas has pledged he would find money somewhere to help the cash-strapped agency.

The mayor said he would aim to send between $75,000 and $125,000 to the ARA.

Dumas said he had not gotten the request for a timeline. "I'll address it when we get the letter," he said. In addition, Dumas said a dispute with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which issues the CDBG grant, needs to be resolved.

HUD barred the city from using economic development money provided by the grant, claiming Attleboro has failed to meet its economic development goals.

The city has defended itself in a document sent to HUD, but has not gotten a response.

ARA officials applied for $175,000 from CDBG to pay for development activities at the industrial business park.

They say anything less than that will slow or even stop work on the project.

Dumas and the city's Community Development Office declined to fund the ARA out of CDBG in order to pay for a number of city projects including an affordable housing project in South Attleboro and downtown facade improvements.

Work on the industrial business park will be affected by a cut in CDBG cash because other grants paying for the project provide little cash for administration, ARA officials said.

While the ARA has acquired millions in grants and loans for its three major projects there are strict restrictions on how the money can be used.

The ARA's other projects should remain on track. More work would likely take place on the downtown revitalization project which is better funded and has built in administration funding.