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Commissioners invite private grant and lobbying consultants to help package ‘shovel‑ready’ projects
Summary
The board began vetting consultants that would identify grants, write applications and help advocate for state and federal appropriations for county capital projects; presenters said projects that are ‘shovel ready’ and have local matches are most competitive.
The commissioners heard a presentation from a government‑relations firm and discussed the potential for hiring outside consultants to identify and pursue state, federal and private grants for county projects.
Josh Press of Press Public Strategies and partner KO/Cato Consulting described services ranging from a funding readiness assessment to grant writing and lobbying. Press said his firm focuses on state and federal appropriations and that KO/Cato supports detailed grant research and application writing.
Why it matters: Commissioners said they have a long list of capital needs — a new 911 center, animal shelter/dog pound, sanitary sewer and water projects and courthouse building repairs among them — and that a consultant can help marshal grants, appropriations and foundation dollars. Julie Green, Trumbull County Planning Commission, told commissioners the office is preparing congressional appropriations requests (congressionally directed spending) and that deadlines and application complexity make outside help attractive.
Details - Consultants described a two-step approach: a funding‑readiness assessment that catalogs potential grants and deadlines and then a mix of retainer or a la carte work to prepare individual applications. Federal and state appropriations officials prefer “shovel‑ready” projects that can begin with matching or partial local funds in place, the presenters said. - Commissioners raised cost and return-on-investment questions; press and KO representatives said successful awards typically exceed fees many times over, but the board emphasized it wants scope and pricing details before selecting a firm. - The county also discussed earlier preparatory work that could improve competitiveness: completing engineering designs, environmental reviews, and project cost estimates so projects are ready when grant windows open.
Ending Commissioners invited additional firms to present in coming weeks and asked staff to compile a list of priority shovel‑ready projects and to request written scopes and price proposals from the firms that appeared.
