Budget committee approves moving vacant grants manager position to county manager’s office to strengthen compliance oversight

Elko County’s Budget Committee voted March 12 to recommend moving the vacant Grants and Contracts Manager position from the Finance Department to the County Manager’s Office, a change staff said would centralize grant compliance and program performance oversight.

An unnamed county staff presenter told the committee the role’s central tasks are compliance and risk management: ensuring grant policies and plans are up to date, meeting audit requirements and providing technical assistance to departments. Susan (Finance staff) said she supports relocating the position because many grant‑management duties are not strictly financial.

Committee discussion emphasized audit risk and the need to track performance reporting for grants. The presenter explained the county faces recurring grant compliance work across many programs — including FAA reimbursement requests for some airports and other federal programs — and that missed reimbursements or compliance failures could require repayment. The committee was told the position is a grade E15 with a starting salary of $71,531.

Committee members also discussed whether a co‑operative approach with local institutions (school district, college) could share resources, but the committee prioritized an internal position focused on compliance and accountability. The committee approved the move by voice vote; final reporting lines and any hiring decisions will be made by the Board of County Commissioners.

The recommendation includes a task list for the position focused on policy updates, compliance reviews and closing the grant-reporting loop to the commissioners.