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Council discusses hiring a grants manager/risk manager to pursue funding and manage grant reporting
Summary
Councilors raised the idea of adding a part-time grants manager or facilitator—potentially combined with risk-management duties—to chase external funding, manage back-end reporting and lower staff burden; members discussed whether grants can cover administrative costs and suggested exploring part-time or contracted options.
St. Helens’ councilors used the work session to press staff on how the city pursues and manages grant funding and whether the city should hire a dedicated grants manager.
Multiple councilors said a single staff member focused on grant identification, application and post-award reporting could increase the city’s ability to compete for funds and reduce administrative burden on department heads. Councilors referenced past staffing gaps after a previous employee who handled similar work left and said that other municipalities capture substantial outside funding with dedicated staff.
Staff noted that many federal and state grants limit how much direct administrative time can be charged to a project and that the indirect-cost allocation varies by funder. The group discussed options including a half-time FTE, a part-time contract position, or using interns or college partnerships for some tasks while keeping grant accounting within finance.
Councilors emphasized the potential return on investment: large infrastructure grants can be worth millions of dollars, and some grants allow an administrative or indirect portion that could support part of a grants manager’s salary. They asked staff to explore cost-benefit scenarios, identify grants that would allow administrative percentages, and report back.
