Sandy Council adopts revised special service contract program guidelines

The Sandy City Council on Aug. 6 adopted updated 2025–2027 guidelines for the city’s Special Service Contract Program, approving a scoring rubric, expanded eligibility language and flexibility on payment schedules. The changes aim to give the review subcommittee a consistent way to rank applications while allowing the city manager to negotiate alternate payment arrangements and require written grant agreements. City staff said the scoring rubric divides 100 points evenly across five categories to prioritize projects that advance program objectives, demonstrate positive impact on Sandy residents, offer relative value for public investment, show long-term sustainability or purchase long-term assets, and document a successful grant-administration track record. “So out of a 100 points, just evenly divided into 5 different subcategories here,” staff explained during the presentation. Staff also said they revised eligibility to include all tax‑exempt organizations under the Internal Revenue Code rather than limiting awards to organizations identified only as 501(c)(3)s. Councilors asked how the scoring would treat first‑time applicants who lack a grant track record. One councilor asked whether a first‑time applicant would be scored negatively; staff proposed giving applicants a default allocation of points for experience unless there was a documented negative history. “A lot of times... the approach is to just give everybody those points unless there’s not a positive, successful track record,” a councilor observed during the discussion. The council instructed staff to make explicit that grantees must enter a written SSCP grant agreement that sets the payment schedule and reporting expectations; staff said the original draft allowed reimbursement requests mid‑biennium and at the end of the biennium, but that the city manager could negotiate alternatives and then specify reporting tied to any alternative schedule. “All applicants will be required to enter into an SSCP grant agreement with the city that would lay out the specific payment schedule for them,” staff said. Motion and outcome: Councilor Sheldon moved to adopt the 2025–2027 SSCP guidelines as modified; Councilor Smallwood seconded. The motion passed by voice vote. What it means: The changes create a repeatable scoring tool for the review committee, broaden the pool of eligible nonprofits, and allow flexibility in how grants are paid and reported so organizations that cannot front costs can be considered under negotiated terms. Staff and council emphasized that written agreements and mid‑biennium and final reporting will be required and that the city manager will notify council and applicants when an alternative payment schedule changes reporting timing. Staff follow‑up: Councilors requested clearer language documenting how first‑time applicants can demonstrate related experience, explicit mid‑biennium and final reporting timing in the final guidelines, and that alternative payment arrangements be memorialized in the written agreement.