Fayette County approves match, letter of support for health department resiliency grant

At its June 2025 meeting, the Fayette County Commission agreed to provide a cash match and a letter of support to the Fayette County Health Department for a resiliency initiative aimed at strengthening local disaster recovery and preparedness capacity.

The Health Department asked the commission for a cash match to satisfy a federal grant—s 20% cost-share requirement and for a letter of support to accompany an Economic Development Administration (EDA) application. Presenters said the grant would fund two full-time disaster resilience coordinators for an 18-month period and support capacity building, local volunteer and shelter coordination, case management for disaster survivors and grant-writing and stakeholder engagement work.

Sarah Hamrick, a consultant with SPP who has worked on disaster recovery in West Virginia, described gaps in local recovery capacity and explained the proposed project—s components: training and retaining volunteer case managers, developing a consistent shelter activation and reporting process, updating the county—s emergency operations plan, forming a resiliency working group and supporting EDA grant-writing efforts.

"We typically are really good at response. We know how to deploy. We know how to save lives," Hamrick said, describing the project—s emphasis on building recovery and long-term resilience after immediate response. She said the proposed grant application includes a 20% match and that in-kind contributions from county staff time were shown in the budget, but the EDA requires some portion of the match in cash.

Terry Harland, executive director of the Fayette County Health Department, said the requested county cash match is approximately $13,000 to $13,900 depending on final budget proportions and presentation; she and Hamrick requested a letter of support and a county commitment to the cash match to finalize the application. "We need a commitment for the cash match, which is, like, $13,000," Hamrick said during the presentation; later in the discussion the application figure of $13,900 was referenced.

Commissioners asked how the program would work with existing local entities, such as emergency management and regional development organizations, and were told the project intends to support and collaborate with those groups rather than duplicate existing efforts. Presenters said the scope includes supporting stakeholder engagement for infrastructure projects where appropriate and creating a brownfields inventory to identify potential redevelopment sites.

After questions and discussion about scope, in-kind contributions and the EDA application process, a commissioner moved to allocate the requested funds and provide a letter of support. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

The commission approved the cash match commitment and the request for a letter of support. Staff and Health Department representatives plan to continue stakeholder outreach and to return with updates as the EDA application progresses.