RICHMOND, Ind. — The Richmond Common Council on July 21 unanimously approved Ordinance 34-2025 to accept and appropriate a $3,000,000 federal grant administered in Indiana by the Indiana Community Action Association to install solar systems focused on low-income residents.

The grant, part of an EPA-backed “Solar for All” effort in Indiana, requires that funds be used specifically to deliver solar benefits to low-income communities. Allison (member, Richmond Environmental Sustainability Commission) told the council the award requires no local match and that at least $2.6 million of the grant must be spent on solar systems rather than administration.

The city’s proposed uses, as explained by Allison, are to fund behind-the-meter solar for Richmond Housing Authority properties and to equip part of the Morrison-Reeves Library as a resilience hub with solar and a battery so that a portion of the library could operate independently during outages. Allison said the resilience hub could provide “enough power to last for … anywhere from 6 hours to a couple of days,” depending on final budgeting.

City staff and the sustainability commission described the grant as tightly constrained: funds must be spent on activities that directly benefit low-income residents, the program has a fixed deadline to spend all funds by April 2029, and the award includes up to $400,000 for administrative costs. Allison said the library and housing authority would become owners of the installed systems once they are complete and that the city is seeking clarification from the grant administrators about whether maintenance funding may be included in the grant budget.

Thomas Hill, the city’s GIS coordinator, provided mapping that the presenters used to show the targeted sites fall in designated vulnerable areas and are accessible to residents. Allison said tentative partners include the Richmond Housing Authority and Morrison-Reeves Library and that both boards have approved further planning for the projects.

Councilors moved to suspend the rules and advance the ordinance to second reading the same night; after a public hearing and motions for engrossment and to call the question, the council passed the ordinance on a unanimous roll call. Recorded aye votes included Doug Goss, Lucinda Wright, Bill Engel, Anne Taylor, Gary Turner, Jane Bumbleo, Justin Burkhart, Jerry Purcell and Larry Parker.

The city will work with the Indiana Community Action Association (INCAA), which is administering the EPA funds in Indiana, to complete required paperwork. Allison said INCAA is the intermediary with the EPA and that INCAA attorneys are reviewing state bill language to confirm the grant’s permitted uses.

Councilors asked about long-term maintenance and operational responsibility; Allison said the housing authority and Morrison-Reeves Library have indicated they would accept the systems and that the city is pursuing budget language or contractual arrangements to ensure maintenance and oversight.

The ordinance authorizes submittal, acceptance and appropriation of the federal grant funds; details about project timelines and final budget splits were described as still under development by city staff and partner boards.