Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Van Zandt County staff discuss two-year solid-waste grant, salary-supplement rules
Summary
County staff briefed commissioners on a two-year solid-waste grant that can be submitted as a countywide application and includes a limited salary supplement for new hires; the package is due Sept. 29 and awards are expected in mid-to-late December.
Van Zandt County staff told the commissioners' workshop on Sept. 18 that a solid-waste funding opportunity now covers two years and can be submitted as a single county application, which staff said would likely yield more resources than multiple precinct applications. The application deadline noted in the discussion is Sept. 29, and award notices were described as likely to arrive in mid-to-late December.
The staff presentation described a salary-supplement component intended only for new hires: up to $30,000 the first year, $13,000 the second year and $10,000 the third year. As described to the court, the supplement applies only if a position is primarily (staff described it as around 50% or more) dedicated to solid-waste management tasks; otherwise the salary component is not available. “The salary part is made for a new hire only,” a county staff member said. “So you can’t hire that person instead of, you know, you’ve got the grant funds — then you can hire that person, and they’ll be eligible for the salary supplement.”
Staff told the court they planned to ask whether the county as a whole should submit the application rather than having each precinct submit separately. The county judge and several commissioners said they wanted additional detail before changing the approach for this round of applications, and some members said the county should put the item on next year’s planning radar so the court could prepare earlier.
On program scope, staff said eligible activities include broader solid-waste management tasks beyond cleanup days and dumpster events, and that enforcement work tied to the local health authority could be counted toward the program’s work-share calculations. Staff also noted paperwork and timing constraints: if the salary supplement is approved, the new position could not be hired until award notification. Commissioners agreed to continue monitoring the opportunity and gather more technical information from the program coordinator and from county colleagues before making a final decision about who should submit the application.
For follow-up, staff proposed arranging a face-to-face meeting with the grant coordinator to clarify technical elements and submission strategy. The court did not take a formal vote during the workshop.
