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County agrees to apply for Hurricane Debbie Hazard Mitigation Grant funds; motion passes 3‑1
Summary
Walton County authorized staff to apply for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds tied to Hurricane Debbie. The county would seek federal assistance (approx. $244,729) with a required local match of roughly $81,577; commissioners approved the application 3‑1 with Commissioner Drake voting no.
Walton County commissioners approved a staff request to apply for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds associated with Hurricane Debbie.
Operations coordinator Katie Feeney explained that the federal program is tiered; counties directly impacted receive priority (tier 1) while others in the declared executive order area qualify as tier 2. Walton County falls into tier 2 for this declaration and staff said the county’s allocation could be $244,729 with a local match estimated at $81,576.54. Feeney told the board that applying does not obligate the county to accept funds; the board may decline any award later.
Commissioners questioned whether the funds might be used by more impacted jurisdictions if Walton County did not apply. Feeney said money not used by Walton County would be reallocated through the state’s tiered process. After discussion about optics and regional fairness, the board voted; the motion passed with three votes in favor and Commissioner Drake recorded as the lone nay.
Ending: Staff will complete the application process and return with any awards for board acceptance; the county is not required to accept funds if it later decides not to meet the local match.
