Saratoga County panel approves $32,024 in economic grant reimbursements and OKs MOU to expand childcare

Chairman Wright convened the Saratoga County Economic Development Committee on Thursday, February 6, and the committee approved reimbursements from an economic development grant pool, a reserve fund transfer to pay those awards, and a memorandum of understanding with Warren County to support childcare expansion in both counties.

The committee approved $32,024 in reimbursements related to economic development grants, including full $10,000 reimbursements to the towns of Day and Hadley and a partial reimbursement to the town of Greenfield. Jason Kemper, a staff member, described the process as two steps: approval of the grant reimbursements followed by a transfer from the reserve fund into the operating account to pay the awards. Kemper said 14 applications remained outstanding.

The committee also authorized a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Warren County to act as a subrecipient on a U.S. Department of Labor-funded childcare expansion award. Matt Rose, a staff member, said the MOU would allow Saratoga County to be reimbursed by Warren County for eligible expenses the county incurs while supporting creation of new childcare providers. "We're eligible for up to $13,008.50 in reimbursable expenses," Rose said. Rose described services to be provided through the collaboration including marketing, early-learning supplies and technology, business training, and support with the New York State OCFS certification process.

Alex, a staff member, updated the committee on the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) public hearing and a county-hosted development conference held the prior day. Alex said attendance exceeded previous years: "We were over 50 last year," and staff reported the event generated about $40,000 from exhibitors and sponsors, which reduced the attendee fee to about $90 for the day. Alex credited multiple county offices and outside partners for helping run the event and said the county will provide a breakdown of Saratoga County participation on request.

Votes at a glance: The committee recorded the following actions by voice vote with no roll-call tallies provided in the transcript: the appointment of Chairman Wright as vice chair (accepted by Wright), approval of the minutes from Dec. 4, approval of the $32,024 in reimbursements, approval of the reserve fund transfer to pay those reimbursements, authorization of the MOU with Warren County (to allow up to $13,008.50 in reimbursable expenses), and a motion to adjourn. All motions were announced as carried in the meeting record.

The committee's approvals set the county to begin paying the approved reimbursements and to participate as a subrecipient on the Warren County childcare grant; staff said they will return with further updates and a full rundown of outstanding grant applications at a future meeting.