Harrisville accepts $600,000 rural grant and approves UDOT federal-aid agreement for 1750 North

Harrisville’s City Council on Jan. 14 accepted a $600,000 Rural Communities Opportunity Grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and voted to sign a Federal Aid Agreement with the Utah Department of Transportation to advance construction on 1750 North.

The approvals will allow the city to install utilities on the 1750 North roadway ahead of later federally funded construction work and start required environmental studies. City staff said the federal program accounts for roughly $2,000,000 in project funding; the city must provide a local match the staff described as approximately $150,000 in value, which the city may meet with either cash or documented in-kind work.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said advancing utility work now reduces direct costs to city coffers during the construction phase and positions the road project to proceed through federal procedures that require environmental review and formal agreements before construction can begin.

City staff presentation: Justin Schindler explained the grant and the federal-aid agreement during the business portion of the meeting. He said the rural grant award increased from an earlier estimate and that the $600,000 will pay to install utilities on 1750 prior to the federal construction phase. Schindler said staff and the city attorney reviewed the UDOT agreement and recommended approval so the city may proceed with environmental work and subsequent federal steps.

On the local match, Schindler described how the city may document labor and equipment at federal rates as in-kind “work” to meet match requirements. He said the federal program uses standardized labor and equipment rates to value in-kind contributions.

Votes at a glance

- Acceptance of Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity Rural Communities Opportunity Grant (award: $600,000) — Motion made and seconded; motion carried. (Motion text as recorded in meeting: accept the Rural Communities Opportunity Grant.)

- Approval of Federal Aid Agreement with UDOT for construction of 1750 North (federal funding described by staff at about $2,000,000; local match described as roughly $150,000, cash or in-kind) — Motion made and seconded; motion carried. (Motion text as recorded in meeting: approve the Federal aid agreement with UDOT for the construction of 1750 North.)

Other routine votes

- Approval of Dec. 10, 2024 meeting minutes — Motion made and seconded; motion carried.

- Tabling discussion of 2025 city goals for roughly two weeks (return at next retreat/work session) — Motion made and seconded; motion carried.

What council did not decide: No final construction contract was awarded at the meeting; staff said approving the federal-aid agreement is an early step that enables environmental reviews and later contract phases. The precise dollar amount and accounting method the city will use to document the local match (cash vs. in-kind labor/equipment) were described as flexible and to be confirmed during project accounting.

Next steps: With the federal-aid agreement approved, staff may proceed with the environmental studies and federal processing required by UDOT and federal funders. Additional council actions will be needed for specific construction contracts, final budget appropriations if cash match is used, and any project amendments.

Sources: Presentation by Justin Schindler during the Jan. 14 Harrisville City Council meeting and council motions recorded on the same agenda item.