Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Finance Grants And Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Administrator and commissioners clarify $1.4M ‘return’ confusion, push HAPO grant work and CECOM funding review
Summary
County Administrator told commissioners the reported $1.4 million 'return' reflected forecast and budget‑transfer differences — not cash on hand — and urged staff to expedite a $3 million Department of Commerce HVAC grant application; commissioners also reported continued work to reform CECOM funding and explore transit for veterans.
During regular business and commissioner updates Franklin County Administrator Mr. Danzel and multiple commissioners addressed finance, grant and regional‑service items that the board said require prompt staff attention.
$1.4 million clarification
Administrator Mr. Danzel addressed public questions about a reported $1.4 million that had been described in prior sheriff’s office materials. He told the board the figure was a result of revenue forecasting and budget transfers — not an actual cash return to the county. “There is no $1,400,000 that's been returned that we have just sitting here,” Danzel said, adding the difference was a miscalculation of forecasted revenue combined with transfers from contingency and reserve funds. He used a prepay example to explain that the budget forecast does not equate to cash on hand and said the county does not have an extra $1.4 million available to spend.
HAPO grant and arena HVAC
Danzel and commissioners briefed the board on an active Department of Commerce grant round for an HVAC project at the HAPO Center. Danzel said the county is pursuing roughly a $3 million grant for arena‑side HVAC work and urged staff to prioritize paperwork and responses to meet grant deadlines.
CECOM task force funding review
Commissioner Baumann reported on CECOM (the regional emergency communications/911 service) task‑force work to clarify a long‑confusing payment structure among owner agencies and users. Baumann said jurisdictions, including Benton and Franklin counties and cities, are wrestling with how to allocate costs fairly among owner agencies, law and fire users and other occasional users; she described multiple possible classes (owners, law, fire, user agencies) and said experts and auditor staff are working on proportional methods and exceptions so that smaller agencies are not unduly burdened by a strict proportional allocation.
Veterans transit discussion
Commissioner Nolan and others said they are pursuing more use of dial‑a‑ride options through Ben Franklin Transit to help veterans reach medical appointments at the VA in Walla Walla. Nolan said transit staff are exploring options to pick up veterans and transport them to regional VA appointments.
Why it matters: the administrator’s clarification aimed to correct public misunderstanding about county finances; the HAPO grant is time‑sensitive and could bring major capital funding; CECOM funding changes could affect emergency communications budgets for many local districts.
What’s next: staff were asked to prioritize HAPO grant paperwork, continue CECOM task‑force work on funding allocation models and return with data and proposed next steps to the board.
