County grant managers propose $300,000 program continuation; request board guidance on themes and service agreements

Grant managers reviewed FY25 awards, asked supervisors for direction on priorities for FY26, and requested permission to carry forward unspent FY25 allocations for multi‑year pilots.

Allison Wells, grants manager, briefed the board on this year’s community‑grant portfolio and on updates to the county’s grant management platform. She said the county is transitioning grantees into an e‑grants portal (eServices) to track goals, reporting and budgets online; the tool will also allow future invoice approvals and improved monitoring.

Why it matters: the county funds a mix of recurring social service block grants, service agreements (libraries, greater‑IC and event support), economic development grants and one‑time quality‑of‑life awards. Those allocations are discretionary and compete with statutory and mandated county expenditures in a constrained budget environment.

Key proposals and points

- Proposed FY26 placeholder: Allison recommended keeping a combined budget target of $300,000 for economic development and quality‑of‑life grants (staff will present detailed application themes after the board sets a budget level).

- Themes: staff suggested focusing FY26 quality‑of‑life grants on “community engagement and events” rather than repeating the prior sustainability/conservation theme. For economic development, staff proposed focusing on rural economic development, local foods/agritourism, and measurable, sustainable business supports.

- Business match/catalyst funding: Allison recommended pausing separate county storefront/business improvement awards for FY26 while the county’s ARPA‑funded Community Foundation/Greater IC business finance pilot completes multiple funding cycles; staff said this will avoid competing or duplicative county programs.

- Service agreements: Allison summarized existing FY25 service agreements (libraries, Iowa City Senior Center, Greater IC, Johnson County Agricultural Association and others), reported recipient requests for FY26, and noted new requests including a proposed modest agreement for the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition to seed planning for mobile‑home community work ($10,000 request to support organizing and proposal development for future competitive grants).

- Carryover and timing: staff asked supervisors to allow carryover of unspent FY25 allocations for the emerging organizations and City Catalyst initiatives so those multi‑year pilot programs can be executed; supervisors authorized staff to carry over remaining obligations for those lines.

Outlook and next steps

Grant staff will draft application materials and metrics once the board confirms high‑level budget direction. Staff will coordinate with Paola and the county DEI efforts if the board pursues a community‑events sponsorship model. Supervisors asked staff to align grant themes with the county’s broader priorities and to avoid duplicating ARPA‑funded pilot programs.

Ending

Grant staff will return with developed grant themes, application timelines and recommended budget splits after receiving the board’s guidance.