Jones County commissioners approve application for USDA Rural Business Development Grant

The Jones County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize an application for a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development Grant and approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Jones County Development Authority to pursue the grant and related work.

The vote, taken during a regularly scheduled meeting, authorizes the county to apply for the $25,000 grant that would fund a yearlong retail-recruitment study and outreach program led by Retail Strategies, with support from Veil Strategies and a partnership role for Georgia EMC and Tri County. Miss Watson, who presented the application materials to the board, described the program as a process in which consultants will “pull all of our information, demographics about our community, and then they will find areas or, spaces that are available for development or to have new business put in.” She added, “This is what you need, and they’ll help us pull those businesses and retain those businesses for our community.”

The nut graf: The agreement and grant application are intended to produce a retail market analysis and recruitment plan to identify businesses that could locate in Jones County. If awarded, the county would initially allocate $25,000 from its budget to pay for consultant services and then seek reimbursement from the USDA grant, according to materials presented at the meeting.

Board members discussed procurement and the county’s existing policy. Jason, speaking during the discussion, cited a clause saying a vendor must “comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies,” and noted the county’s procurement policy remains in effect even for grant-funded work. The presenter said Retail Strategies has carried out similar work for other communities and that no special procurement restrictions had been raised in previous engagements. The county also plans a modest local in-kind contribution of $3,000 from Tri County to demonstrate local commitment as part of the application.

The intergovernmental agreement considered by the commissioners lays out roles between the board and the Jones County Development Authority for carrying out the grant-funded work. Presenters said the development authority does not currently have a SAM.gov number, which is why the county would need to allocate funds up front and then seek reimbursement under the grant’s reimbursement structure. The materials presented to the board also noted a planned site visit and training at Retail Strategies’ offices in Birmingham, Alabama, for county and development authority representatives; Georgia EMC indicated it would partner on travel arrangements.

Votes at the meeting recorded both actions as approved by roll call. The motion to authorize the grant application was moved and seconded, and the motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement was also moved and seconded; both measures were approved unanimously. The record did not list individual commissioner names for each vote.

During the public-comment portion, Miss Vaughn commented on the item, saying she was “glad to see that we’re doing this study” and expressing interest in the final recommendations. The board adjourned after the items were completed.

Ending: The approval authorizes staff and the development authority to complete the grant application and proceed with the intergovernmental agreement process; next steps include application submission and, if the grant is awarded, formal contracting for the consultant work and scheduling of the proposed Retail Strategies training visit.