County officials say grants workload strains staff; discuss consultants, Delta contract and hiring

County officials and committee members on Feb. 19 warned that the volume and complexity of federal and state grant work is straining county staff and discussed whether to rely on consultants, expand in-house capacity, or create a permanent grant-management position.

County Administrator (unnamed) told the Ways and Means Committee that applications for a newly framed emergency management director position and a county historian position have been posted and that Human Resources had received several applications. "We've started to receive applications," the County Administrator said, adding that the plan is to accept applications through mid-March and then schedule interviews.

The County Administrator and other members described the grant process as time-consuming at both the application and administration stages. "It is a lot of work even with grant consultants' help," the County Administrator said, noting the procurement and drawdown phases add substantial staff time. The administrator said the county has ARPA funds and other sources that could be used to meet match requirements but emphasized the importance of aligning grant-seeking with board priorities.

A committee member asked whether certain IIJA grants were at risk; the administrator and other staff said the county's IIJA awards were under contract and staff had been assured by consultants and representatives that the county stands a good chance of receiving the funds. The administrator said Delta, a consultant, represents multiple clients and has been in communication with representatives in Washington.

Several members identified Jody Adams as a key internal point person for grant compliance and application work. One member said, "Jody is kind of the point person for a lot of these grants for the information coming in and out. And she's done that even before we had Delta." Members credited Adams with handling complex compliance and reporting tasks across multiple funding streams.

Board members discussed the county's $90,000 contract with Delta (referenced in discussion) and whether the county would get "bang for your buck" from hiring a full-time grant specialist versus using consultants. One member noted the Delta contract cost of $90,000 and that administration contributes an estimated eight to nine collective staff hours weekly to support those grants. The committee discussed the idea of prioritizing grant pursuits to match staff capacity instead of pursuing every available opportunity.

Members also said some towns and villages lack capacity to pursue grants and have hired outside consultants when necessary; the county previously had arrangements to provide subsidized grant writing assistance to local municipalities, a model some members suggested could be revisited.

Ending

Committee members expressed support for directing grant efforts toward board priorities and signaled willingness to invest in staffing or consultant arrangements where the county can expect a measurable return. The committee did not take a formal vote on new grant staffing during the meeting.