Grants office reports $319M portfolio, outlines transit pilot, mitigation programs and software needs

John Harris, director of grants for St. Tammany Parish, told the finance committee the grants office now oversees about $319 million in total award obligations and that, through 2025 to date, roughly $169 million in projects and programs have moved money or progressed to active work.

Harris said his 12‑person team manages federal and state grants, performs compliance reviews, and coordinates with parish departments and outside agencies; the majority of grant funding flows from federal sources or state pass‑throughs.

Why it matters: grants supplement parish capital and program funding; how the parish manages those awards affects project delivery, compliance risk and future eligibility for programs such as transit operations, disaster mitigation, housing buyouts and community development work.

Key details from the grants briefing

- Portfolio and major funders: Harris reported a $319 million portfolio overall, with FEMA (about $78 million), parish ARPA funds including water projects (about $74 million), HUD ($32 million), FTA ($21 million) and capital‑outlay sources (about $33 million) among top contributors.

- Staff and responsibilities: the grants office includes 12 staff members (grant managers, program coordinators and a grant writer). Managers review compliance and must verify project completion and procurement before reimbursement. The office serves as the parish liaison to state and federal funders.

- Programs highlighted: STAR Transit (public transit) — the department completed a Phase‑1 study and proposed a Phase‑2 micro‑transit pilot and feasibility work with the consultant Wingate; the residential mitigation (elevation/buyout) program; sewer and home‑repair entitlement programs; and the Region 9 arts council work covering St. Tammany, St. Bernard and Washington parishes.

- Grants administration needs: Harris requested modest professional‑services funding for a regional arts assessment and to support transit phase‑2 planning; he also said the department continues to rely on external capacity for some elevation program administration. He flagged a potential purchase of grant‑management software that would reduce manual tracking; preliminary vendor estimates were approximately $200,000 per year, which Harris said is currently beyond the department’s realistic 2026 ask but remains under review.

- Specific grant timing and status: Harris noted FEMA grants related to Ida and other disasters remain active; some FEMA/Katrina hazard mitigation projects were closed when they failed a benefit‑cost test, while other disaster‑related projects and waterway debris removal remain funded and under contract. He reported that certain state‑run coastal buyout application deadlines were closed and that the parish had limited ability to extend those deadlines without state approval.

Committee questions and follow‑ups

Members asked for project‑level detail and suggested follow‑up briefings. The infrastructure committee requested the STAR Transit Phase‑1 report and recommended the Wingate consultant present Phase‑2 micro‑transit proposals to infrastructure staff. Several councilmembers asked about program deadlines (e.g., storm‑related grants and coastal buyout windows) and the grants director said he would follow up with departmental project teams and the state where extensions might be possible.

Ending: reporting cadence and next steps

Harris said his office will produce a regular grants summary and recommended starting with quarterly updates to the council; he asked for direction on prioritizing software and professional‑services requests while the administration considers funding availability.