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Vernon County staff report mixed news on FEMA, generator and domestic-violence grants; county may seek $45,000 to sustain services
Summary
County staff reported progress on FEMA demolition timelines and generator grant work but said a state-level cancellation of a rural violent-crime reduction grant is threatening a domestic-violence program; staff told the committee they may request roughly $45,000 from unallocated county funds to sustain services through year end.
County staff updated the committee on several state and federal grants affecting infrastructure and human services and warned that one grant cancellation could interrupt an active domestic-violence intervention program.
Amy (department staff) reported that a FEMA-funded demolition project had a federal deadline extension (to late November) allowing the county to proceed with acquisition and demo work for properties in a floodplain. "I got such from the state that FEMA extended till November 29," she said, noting the extension permits one homeowner more time to close on a replacement home before demolition proceeds.
Staff also described generator-replacement grant activity: one BRIC-funded generator project was within budget and moving to contract; a second, larger set of generator projects initially failed a benefit-cost analysis and will be re-run with updated municipal data to try to qualify some locations for funding.
Amy said a state local cybersecurity grant was submitted for roughly $70,000 to enhance county cybersecurity and that work will proceed if awarded.
On human-services funding, staff said the rural violent-crime reduction initiative—an awarded grant supporting a coordinated domestic-violence program run with local partners—was abruptly cut off at the state level for many awardees. The county had been awarded $200,000 originally and had about $58,000 remaining for the year. "We have 58,000 left in that grant," Amy said, adding that the county’s nonprofit partners and court-ordered programs are mid-course and could be harmed by an abrupt shutdown.
Committee members and presenters said the program provides services ranging from victim support to batterer intervention and coordinated community response. The county plans to ask the finance committee to consider using unallocated county funds — an estimated $45,000 request was discussed — to keep current programming running through the end of the year while the state-level dispute proceeds.
No final decision on the county funding request was made in the meeting; staff said they would put a formal request to the finance committee and recommended inviting nonprofit program managers and the sheriff to finance to explain service impacts.
Speakers quoted are staff and county presenters recorded in the meeting transcript.
