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Rowlett council adopts community service grant program, sets application and reporting schedule
Summary
The Rowlett City Council on March 18 approved a resolution establishing a Community Service Grant Program, setting an April 30 application deadline and an October 1 award date with an expense period through the following Sept. 30.
The Rowlett City Council voted 5-0 on March 18 to adopt a resolution establishing a Community Service Grant Program and its application and reporting process.
The resolution sets an application deadline of April 30, an award/disbursement date at the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, and an expense period of Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 of the following year. Annual activity reports will be submitted in the first quarter of the next fiscal year, with final submission data as of Dec. 31, staff said.
Deputy City Manager Christoph Bauer described the schedule and background during the council discussion. Finance and administrative staff clarified that the April 30 date was chosen to give staff time to communicate with applicants and provide a placeholder number to the budget team for planning. Senior staff member Miss Wade (city staff) told council the application deadline is April 30 and that applications will be evaluated for completeness prior to presentation.
Council members discussed concerns that the April 30 deadline might be too short for small nonprofit organizations that lack professional grant staffs. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Shinder asked whether staff could be given discretion to extend the deadline for applicants who request additional time. City staff advised that they had not set a discretionary extension policy but said they would act at the pleasure of the council.
City Manager/administrative staff indicated there is an existing application template online from the prior year and staff can make the new version live quickly; staff agreed they could publish an updated application immediately if the council approved the resolution.
Council member Bowers moved to approve the resolution; council member Britton seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
Council members and staff emphasized a desire to help small, volunteer-led nonprofits complete applications and discussed how staff would note incomplete applications in the materials forwarded to the council. Staff said they will forward all applications to the council and indicate which are administratively complete or deficient.
The resolution was approved as presented; the city will publish the application and follow the schedule set by staff unless the council later amends the policy.
