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Gage County submits $25 million RAISE grant; board moves to outsource administration to SEND
Summary
Gage County submitted a $25 million RAISE grant application for Claytonia, Dewitt and Hickory Roads and proposed hiring Southeast Nebraska Development District (SEND) to administer the grant; the board moved and seconded the SEND agreement but the transcript does not record a final vote.
County staff reported the county submitted a RAISE grant application on Jan. 30 seeking $25,000,000 for road projects on Claytonia, Dewitt and Hickory Roads and said the county used the NDOT infrastructure hub and its grant-writer resource to prepare the application.
The matter matters because the RAISE program funds substantial multimillion-dollar transportation projects; submission positions the county to compete for federal funding that could cover major road improvements.
County staff said the infrastructure hub helped adjust merit criteria and the benefit-cost analysis; staff noted they were among the first applicants to use the hub and had submitted the application prior to the hub partnership being fully activated. The county reported being the first to submit through the infrastructure hub and credited the tool for improving technical elements of the application.
Separately, the board discussed a proposed agreement with Southeast Nebraska Development District (SEND) to administer grant dollars for the Gage County Road Project. The agreement would have SEND handle grant administration and GRAMA paperwork for the project; the meeting packet indicates the fee would be billed based on hours spent and described an upper estimate in discussion of $10,000 to $15,000 (contract language in the packet stated “up to $15,000”).
Supervisor Lytle moved to approve the agreement with SEND; Supervisor Jurgens seconded the motion. The transcript records the motion and second but does not include a final recorded vote on that motion in the portion of the meeting provided.
If the board executes the agreement, SEND would administer paperwork and invoicing related to the grant and return accounting/billing reports as it bills the county for hours spent; county staff said outsourcing administration would free county personnel to focus on additional grant-writing efforts.
The county will notify the board of any award decisions from the RAISE program and the next administrative steps if the county receives funding.
