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Commissioners debate value of county'paid grant‑writing contract as departments underuse service
Summary
Seward County paid consultant services for grant identification and post‑award work drew scrutiny after staff said only a few departments had used the firm; commissioners discussed whether to continue, cap, or reallocate funds.
Seward County commissioners questioned the ongoing $60,000+ retainer and fee structure for an outside grant‑writing firm after staff reported limited uptake from department heads.
County staff said the firm (identified in the meeting materials as a Washington, D.C.‑based grant firm) provides NOFO monitoring, application writing and post‑award compliance services. The contract, shown in the budget drafts as up to $100,000 in contingency with a $60,000 base retainer, also charges per‑grant writing fees for staff time and post‑award compliance if the county asks the firm to prepare an application. Several department heads told commissioners they had received notices and assistance but that only a few divisions actually requested the firm to write or finalize applications.
Commissioners and staff debated alternatives: (a) continue the contract for one year but require departments to commit to a pipeline of applications, (b) end the contract and hire a part‑time internal grant specialist, or (c) redirect the annual retainer (the meeting captured a $12,000 figure) to the local Seward County Development Corporation to support small business programming. Commissioners asked staff to track return on investment (number and total award value of successful applications) before committing to renewing the contract next year.
Staff noted the contractor had helped identify opportunities but that many NOFOs have short lead times and require local data collection that departments must supply to succeed. Commissioners asked staff to provide a short ROI memo documenting any grants won with contractor help, departmental interest level, and a conservative estimate of how many grants might be realized if the county retained the firm for another year.
