Hamilton County officials outline $346 million in active federal funding, warn of reimbursement delays and policy risk

Hamilton County staff told the Board of County Commissioners on April 15 that the county currently manages about $346,000,000 in active federal funding for fiscal 2020–2025 and warned that recent federal policy shifts and additional grant scrutiny have created real financial and operational risks for county programs and nonprofit partners.

The figure, presented by Anson Turley, Hamilton County deputy assistant county administrator, covers active one‑time grants, recurring operational grants, pass‑through funds and congressionally directed spending. “So as you mentioned, President Dreehaus, we have about $346,000,000 total federal funding that flows into the county and that is active federal funding,” Turley said during the presentation.

Turley said the report excluded closed or fully expended grants and described the county’s categorization: one‑time grants ($59,800,000), recurring operational funding ($175,600,000) and pass‑through funding ($5,000,000). He identified the largest recipients as the Department of Disability Services (about $162.9 million) and Jobs and Family Services (about $80.6 million), with public health receiving roughly $20.9 million. Turley also said an anticipated Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) investment tax credit could refund the county up to $40,000,000 if project criteria are met.

Why it matters: County officials said those federal dollars fund core services — personal care and Medicaid waivers, child and family safety nets, road and bridge grants, emergency preparedness, public‑health programs and nonprofit contracts that deliver neighborhood services. Commissioners and department directors said changes to federal policy or delays in reimbursement would force difficult local decisions about staffing, program continuity and capital projects.

Leah Schneider, director of Hamilton County Department of Disability Services, described how a change in the Medicaid federal match would translate to county budget impacts. “Even just a 1% change in that federal match would be at least 2 and a half million dollars annually for us,” Schneider said, and she urged the board to watch match rates closely because the match funds support services such as personal care, transportation, job supports and respite care.

Michael Patton, director of Jobs and Family Services (JFS), said the department’s federal funding supports both local administration and pass‑through payments for benefits. He said JFS receives about $80 million in federal funding locally and that the department has not yet seen allocation reductions in the current state budget process, though eligibility or policy changes at the federal level (for Medicaid or SNAP, for example) would have a direct effect on residents. “Any adjustments in the eligibility criteria, any adjustments in the funding that we get to administer the programs that we provide in Hamilton County have real impact on real families,” Patton said.

Emergency and infrastructure impact: Nick Crosley, director of the county Emergency Management Agency (EMA), said the county manages urban homeland security grants (the Urban Area Security Initiative, roughly $1.4 million annually) and other FEMA‑related reimbursements that support specialty teams such as bomb squad and urban search and rescue. Crosley told commissioners the county is holding approximately $1,000,000 in reimbursement claims that are under federal review and that he has paused some spending on other grant agreements (about $3,000,000 in agreements) until reimbursements are processed. “We have about a million dollars waiting for reimbursement right now,” he said.

Eric Beck, Hamilton County engineer, said the engineer’s office routinely relies on competitive federal grants to supplement a stagnant local road fund. Beck said the office anticipates about $12.4 million in grant projects over the next five years and that roughly half of those projects would likely be postponed if federal dollars do not arrive. “Federal grant money is our lifeblood because it's our only opportunity to get more funds to help repair our infrastructure,” Beck said.

Nonprofit and program-level risks: Department leads and nonprofit representatives said many local service programs and nonprofit providers are heavily reliant on federal grants. Megan Guthrie, who directs county addiction response programs, said roughly 90% of her department’s budget is federal grant funded; the department reported $8.5 million in active grants with about $5.0 million remaining to spend down. Her staff and contracted peer supports operate Quick Response Teams, syringe services, court‑based treatment and recovery housing — services that would be at risk if federal funding changed or reimbursements were delayed.

County response and next steps: Commissioners asked for more granular, year‑by‑year breakdowns and for staff to track which awards are executed agreements versus pipeline awards. The commission asked administration staff to maintain an ongoing review and to provide updates to federal representatives and stakeholders. County staff also noted they had not included American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocations in Turley’s $346 million total because ARPA funds had been obligated by the end of 2024 and are being spent under a separate timeline.

The meeting ended with the board moving into executive session; the federal funding discussion concluded before that vote. County officials said this review will be an ongoing item as federal guidance and appropriations evolve.