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Middleborough Cultural Council outlines steps to process state-approved grants, details reimbursement rules
Summary
Council staff told members that Mass Cultural Council approvals are complete and described the town-level reimbursement steps, documentation requirements and reporting plans; minutes were approved and meeting adjourned.
The Middleborough Cultural Council on Jan. 9, 2025 reviewed the status of local applicants approved through the Massachusetts Cultural Council and described how the town will handle reimbursements and reporting.
Council staff said the online state process has marked the community awards as approved and that the report totals "they all add to 18,7072" as recorded by staff during the meeting. The staff member said automated emails from the state notify recipients and that additional paperwork and a local reimbursement packet must be completed before checks are issued.
The council member or staff listed the documents the town will require for reimbursement: a W-9 when a grantee paid a contractor, invoices for purchases, and evidence of advertising that includes an acknowledgment that the project received funding from the Middleborough Local Cultural Council/Massachusetts Cultural Council. "They would require a W-9 if you paid somebody. They would require invoices if you bought something. They would require the advertisement that shows that you identified the Mass Cultural Council funding on it," the council staff said.
Council staff explained the in-town process: the town accountant reviews submitted packets and places approved requests on the town warrant; the chair of the Select Board reviews the warrant once a week and can pull checks if paperwork does not match. The staff also said the local process now allows one signer to approve reimbursements, provided the second reviewer’s name is printed on the paperwork.
Members discussed conditional awards, noting that some grants required events to be open to the public; the staff used a local hip-hop dance event as an example where a venue’s private-access rules required clarifying language in an award letter. The staff said they will send conditional letters and follow up with individual recipients as reimbursements are processed.
The council also discussed preparing a council report and a press release summarizing how the money was allocated; the staff said she had sorted funded projects by season and would draft copy for the town website and the Select Board.
Votes at a glance: - Motion to accept minutes of Dec. 5, 2024: moved and seconded on the record; chair called "Aye" and no opposition was recorded; motion approved. - Motion to adjourn/close the meeting: moved and seconded on the record; motion approved by voice vote.
No new grant awards were decided at the Jan. 9 meeting; the discussion centered on next steps for state-approved awards and town-level reimbursement and reporting.
