The city asked for $3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and should know within 30 days whether it will get the funds.

The program the money could help create would satisfy the council’s desire to make sure this time around the city attacks the problem of lead in the community, said Lloyd Renderer, assistant city manager.

City leaders learned 15 years ago that blood lead levels in Galveston children were significantly higher than the state average. Until now, officials have not taken any steps to help remove lead, which is mostly contained in old paint from homes.

According to Galveston County Health District statistics, about 20 percent of children tested have lead in their blood. Doctors believe no level of the toxin, which causes irreversible brain damage, is safe.

Under the city’s proposed program, both rental and homeowner-occupied properties would be eligible for remediation assistance.

Helping anyone who makes money from their properties would be a mistake, said Willy Gonzalez, member of the Galveston Lead Task Force.

“Money shouldn’t be taken away from people who own homes and live in them,” he said. “It boils down to the rich being able to benefit from a blanket movement. Rent money should go to making houses safe for tenants.”

According to city statistics, 54 percent of Galveston houses built before 1980 are occupied by renters. The federal government did not ban lead in residential paint until 1978.

Baylor College of Medicine researchers, who analyzed Galveston’s lead problem last year, discovered that 20 percent of children who tested positive for lead lived in properties owned by just 12 people, leading them to believe that many of the potentially contaminated properties were rental units.

The Daily News asked for a list of the 12 landlords, but the Texas Attorney General ruled that state law prohibits releasing any information, like addresses, that could make it possible to identify children who test positively for lead.

Other cities across the country have published lists of properties known to have lead contamination in an effort to shame owners into cleaning up the contamination.

Landlords are required by state law to notify renters of contamination if they know about it, but enforcing those rules can be a problem.

Federal investigators, alerted to Galveston’s ongoing problem with lead contamination, announced earlier this year that they were looking for violations, which can be punished with a fine of up to $121,000.

Renderer said Thursday creating a lead-safe housing registry was one of the city’s long-term goals.

The federal grant, which lasts for three years, requires the city to come up with a 10 percent match for the funds.

Four other members of the Lead Task Force, which was formed last year after Baylor researchers released their report, have pledged their resources to help the city come up with an in-kind match. The Galveston County Health District, Galveston Historical Foundation, Galveston Housing Authority and St. Vincent’s House have all agreed to count staff time as a contribution to the match requirement.

The city also plans to use $125,000 in community development block grant funds for the match.