County CFO warns new federal executive order will tighten grant oversight and reporting

Sedgwick County's chief financial officer told commissioners the U.S. administration's Aug. 7 executive order will increase federal oversight of discretionary grants and change how counties apply for and manage federal funding.

Lindsay Pro Russo, the county CFO, said the executive order requires federal agencies to appoint a senior official to review new funding opportunity announcements and adopt scoring rubrics that favor projects advancing the president's policy priorities. The memo summarized analyses prepared by the county's grants administrator, Carrie Malan, and warned of operational impacts: a stronger preference for applicants with lower indirect cost rates, new expectations for "gold standard science" rather than broader "evidence‑based" language, and requirements for clearer benchmarks in grant applications.

"Even after we have received an award of funding, there are now going to be termination clauses included in any of those grant agreements," Pro Russo said. She said agencies may terminate awards if they determine the award is not effecting program goals or no longer aligns with agency priorities, and staff should expect more intensive scrutiny of drawdowns and written explanation requirements.

Pro Russo recommended increased collaboration between departments and the grants compliance team to meet new documentation and benchmarking requirements, and said the county is awaiting updates to uniform guidance. She also noted a separate notice: the state has declined to pursue an emergency management early‑warning award, so that funding will not be available through the state this cycle.

County officials said departments that regularly apply for federal funds should expect additional workload in application preparation and post‑award reporting and that staff will return with procedural changes as more federal guidance becomes available.