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Lorain County commissioners emphasize state partnerships, local grant outreach in strategic plan remarks
Summary
A county commissioner said Lorain County relies heavily on state and federal funds and that the county will refocus its strategic plan to act as a conduit for local governments and nonprofits to access grants and state support.
A county commissioner outlined Lorain County’s fiscal reliance on outside funds and said the county will refocus its strategic plan to support local partners and share grant opportunities.
The commissioner said the county’s general fund budget is about $86 million a year and that roughly $45 million of that is produced within Lorain County; the remainder comes from state and federal grants and programming. “Only about $45 million of that is produced here in Lorain County,” the commissioner said, adding that state funding has proved more reliable and less erratic than federal sources.
As part of the strategic-plan direction, the commissioner said the county will prioritize cooperation with state agencies — including the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in work on lakes, rivers and parks — and serve as an information conduit for municipalities, townships and nonprofits. The county plans to share more timely grant notices and partner with local governments to position projects for state support.
“We’re going to refocus our efforts to be much more community focused to really be a conduit for how we can help the community and community organizations be stronger in Lorain County,” the commissioner said. The remarks urged local officials to stay in touch with state representatives and senators and described state support as particularly attentive to northern Ohio lake and watershed issues.
The commissioner acknowledged political and fiscal uncertainty at the federal level and said the county will “grab a hold of our own destiny” by relying more on state partnerships and by strengthening local capacity to apply for and manage grants. He also noted the county’s community development staff will increase outreach on available funding programs, citing a recently publicized forestry grant as an example of information the county will circulate.
The comments preceded other presentations and a planned working-lunch session to continue county-staff outreach to local partners.
