Finance committee hears city staff warn of federal grant volatility, outlines risk steps

Lee's Summit finance staff told the city's Finance and Budget Committee on Oct. 6 that recent federal policy changes and a series of executive orders have created uncertainty around timing, compliance and the potential clawback of federal grant funds.

"We will be navigating the federal, grants landscape together this afternoon," Brianna Burektor, director of finance, told the committee as she opened a staff presentation on federal grants and how the city is managing changing rules.

Burektor said the city has seen a wave of federal actions this year, including agency pauses on draws for awarded funds, Department of Justice memoranda on nondiscrimination, and the Office of Management and Budget's potential revisions to the uniform guidance. "The current landscape is that we've really seen a rapidly changing federal policy environment for us," she said.

Matthew Yance, grant specialist in Development Services, summarized how the city's Community Development Block Grant program works and who receives aid. He said Lee's Summit received $385,000 in CDBG funds for the year, of which about $58,000 (15%) went to four public-service organizations: Coldwater (weekend…