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Staff outlines nearly $1 million in federal grant funding not included in baseline revenue; commissioners note potential service impacts
Summary
Staff reviewed roughly $968,000 in federal and pass-through grant programs that were excluded from baseline FY26 revenues; commissioners discussed that losing these grants would either require county absorption of costs or the cessation of certain services and equipment purchases.
County staff told commissioners the FY26 budget as drafted does not include four key grants in baseline revenues and flagged a broader set of pass‑through federal programs that total roughly $968,000.
The four primary grants (Emergency Management Performance Grant; Victims of Crime Act funding for the DA’s victim‑witness advocates; Bureau of Justice Assistance cost-sharing for body‑worn cameras and bulletproof vests) amount to roughly $108,200 that staff did not include as assured revenue in the draft. Staff noted the victim‑witness grant is currently funded through Sept. 30 but is not guaranteed thereafter, so only a quarter of that revenue was included.
Separately, a roster of homeland security, highway safety, hazard mitigation and other federal programs were described as pass‑through or project grants (for courthouse security cameras, mobile barrier systems, overtime details, training, port/waterway security, Operation Stone Garden, and other items). Staff said these grants enable equipment acquisitions and specialized programs that the county otherwise would not be able to fund in the general fund budget. The total of these pass‑through grants, staff reported, is roughly $860,475; combined with the four primary grants the total discussed was about $968,675.
Commissioners discussed that if the county cannot rely on these federal revenues, some activities would have to be absorbed by county taxes or curtailed. Staff noted many of these grants are time‑sensitive and subject to federal/state award cycles; the board did not take an immediate vote but directed staff to continue treating these grants as separate project funds and to present department‑level budgets accordingly.
No formal action was taken in this item; commissioners asked for continued monitoring and for staff to present concrete contingency options should grant revenue not materialize.
