Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Urban Forestry topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
La Porte sustainability commissioners say tree grant was "vaporized," seek alternatives
Summary
Members of the La Porte City Sustainability Commission discussed the loss of a tree grant funding stream described in the meeting as a "vaporized" grant and agreed to follow up with the staff member working on it and revisit at the next meeting.
La Porte City’s Sustainability Commission spent part of its meeting addressing the loss of a tree-planting grant that members said the city had been pursuing. The commission described the award as a larger, roughly million-dollar grant program from which La Porte received about $200,000; commissioners said the remainder of the grant was no longer available to the city and that the pass-through arrangement used to receive funds may have caused the problem.
The topic mattered to commissioners because the grant money was intended to support city tree work the commission has prioritized. Commissioners said Tucker had been leading the effort but was not present to give an update. “That tree grant was vaporized,” a commission member said during the discussion, and members asked staff to check on alternatives and report back at the next meeting.
Commissioners noted differences in how other nearby jurisdictions handled the funding. One speaker referenced Michigan City as an example of a locality that retained its award; commissioners said that locality appeared to have used a different pass-through grantee or administrative structure, which may have been a factor in whether funds remained available. Members also discussed whether the commission’s stated preference for a diversity of tree types might have affected eligibility, but they said the point was uncertain and requires follow-up with the grant administrator.
As next steps, commissioners agreed to request an update from Tucker and to explore whether another pass-through arrangement could recover additional funding. They did not take a formal vote or adopt a policy on the topic during the meeting; the item was left for follow-up at a future date.
