Hill Country Fire Coalition asks Kendall County for $88,000 cost share for federal wildfire‑defense grant

Representatives of the Hill Country Fire Coalition asked Kendall County commissioners on July 9 to allocate $88,000 as a local cost share to support a federal Community Wildfire Defense Grant application that would expand fuels‑reduction work and build local woody‑biomass processing capacity.

Christy (Hill Country Fire Coalition) told the court the coalition applied for a federal grant that lists total project costs of between $1.5 million and $2.2 million, depending on whether the proposal includes purchase of a grinder/shredder for woody biomass. The federal program requires a local match (25% of total project cost as presented), and the coalition requested that Kendall County cover the county’s share for year‑one activities while the coalition pursues additional fundraising and in‑kind matches.

Coalition representatives said the proposed grant would fund four program areas: property risk assessments, roadside defensible‑space work, community outreach/education, and state‑level advocacy/coordination. A grinder/shredder to convert woody debris into material for biochar or local reuse was central to the coalition’s lower‑cost plan; if the USDA/USFS (or grant program administrators) require per‑ton disposal rather than equipment purchase, the total project cost and the local match would rise. The coalition said it had applied in March and expected federal decisions later in the year.

Christy explained coalition bookkeeping is basic (spreadsheet) at present and offered to move to a more formal accounting system if the county requires grant reporting formats. She also noted the coalition expects to track volunteer/partner in‑kind hours and to seek additional nonfederal grants to lower the county’s net cash obligation.

Commissioners asked for detail on the timeline, on how the five‑year project would be budgeted, and how volunteer/in‑kind match would be calculated; coalition staff said federal guidance allows use of higher of federal or state volunteer‑rate tables and that they would supply further documentation. Commissioners also asked staff to confirm the county budget line where $88,000 could be shown if the court elects to commit to the cost share; county budget staff noted the amount was placed in the judge’s draft contingency line for the Hill Country Fire Coalition (line 1040156591).

There was no final vote at the workshop; the coalition asked that the court leave current allocations intact while they pursue the federal award and additional fundraising. If the county later confirms a cash match, staff said the county’s obligation would be shown in the appropriate fiscal year budget and would be subject to the usual appropriation and procurement requirements.

Coalition representatives emphasized the prevention‑first rationale, said they would pursue a cost‑share waiver for work inside lower‑income census tracts where applicable, and asked the court to consider the longer‑term insurance, preparedness and wildfire‑risk benefits of the proposal.