Ways and Means committee authorizes youth grant application for Rushford Lake

The Allegany County Ways and Means Committee on April 23 authorized county staff to apply for a County Youth Bureau 2425 Youth Development Program (YDP) grant to support recreational opportunities and beach operations at Rushford Lake and ratified signature authority for the application.

The committee acted after the county attorney described the request as an annual application for recreational programming at Rushford Lake and asked that the chairman's signature on the grant application be ratified and that any other documents be subject to attorney review of terms and conditions. "This is requesting authorization to apply for a County Youth Bureau, 2425, YDP grant program through the Office of Child and Family Services," the county attorney said during the meeting.

Committee members asked whether the county acts only as a pass-through for the funds or is also the program recipient. The county attorney replied that the county uses the money to operate the beach and that the county is both a pass-through and a recipient for its own program. The attorney also said the county had received a partial award and "I think we only were awarded half of it." The transcript did not specify the original requested amount or the exact award amount.

The motion to authorize the grant application and ratify the chairman's signature passed by voice vote; the committee recorded the motion as carried. The county attorney said any submitted grant documents would be subject to the attorney's review of terms and conditions before final acceptance.

The resolution does not specify long-term funding commitments or subsequent budget changes; committee members did not direct additional staff action beyond authorizing application and signature ratification.

The discussion occurred under the committee's grant-authority referrals and was limited to the application and the county's role as both recipient and conduit for the funds.