Council hears update on RDA grant contracts; staff to finalize mayoral contract signings with applicants

Scott Hess, economic development director, reviewed the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) grant tabulation in the meeting packet and walked council through a list of proposed awards and applicant match information. The packet listed proposed amounts including a notation of $55,000 for North Ogden Plaza, $133,250 for a parks project, and other project amounts. Hess said staff had called applicants to estimate local matching capacity and that numbers in the spreadsheet were pulled from those conversations.

Hess explained the typical reimbursement model staff proposed: applicants spend the matching amount and submit receipts to receive the RDA match (50% match examples were discussed). He said some applicants will require only administrative approvals while others will need planning or building permits before eligible expenses are incurred.

City Attorney John Call and staff asked the council whether to allow the mayor to sign contracts with selected applicants so staff could move projects forward; staff noted the council previously delegated administration to the mayor, city manager and staff. Council members indicated support to proceed and staff said they would meet with individual applicants to clarify eligible expenses, final match percentages and project phasing. No roll‑call vote to reallocate or increase RDA amounts was taken at the meeting.

Why it matters: RDA funds are intended to stimulate redevelopment projects and private investment. Formal contract execution clarifies expectations for match, eligible costs and reimbursement timing.

Next steps and clarifications - Staff to meet individually with applicants (examples discussed included North Ogden Plaza and Big O Tires) to clarify the eligible expenses, whether partial project work can trigger reimbursement and whether unused funds can be reallocated to other RDA projects. - The council asked staff to return if reallocations or material changes to the previously discussed allocations are required.

Quotes from the meeting: "For an applicant to receive the full hundred thousand dollar RDA amount, they would need to spend $200,000 and then through receipts show us that they spent $200,000 and we would give them 50% dollar‑for‑dollar match percentage amount back," Scott Hess said.

Ending: Staff will finalize individual contracts and coordinate with applicants; the council signaled informal approval to allow the mayor to execute those agreements once terms are clarified.