Maury County approves $3 million Safer Streets grant application with $600,000 county match

Maury County commissioners voted July 6 to move forward with a $3,000,000 Safer Streets for All implementation grant application and to fund the local match from the highway department budget.

The grant application covers safety improvements on multiple county roads. Highway Department representative Ken McKee told the commission the grant is for $3,000,000 with a local match of $600,000 over a five-year period; McKee said the county match would come from his department’s fund. “Grant amount is 3,000,000 … it’s over a 5 year period. The 600,000, I want just to come out of my budget,” McKee said.

Commissioners asked how the match would be handled and whether in‑kind work could count toward the match. McKee said the county would perform most of the work and that “some of it may be bid out,” but could not confirm whether in‑kind labor would qualify for the match under the grant rules. Commissioner Kathy Grodi asked, “So sometimes on grants, when they have a match, we spend the 600,000 first. Is that in this case?” McKee said he believed that could occur but did not provide a firm procedural answer.

Commissioner Jerry Strand asked whether the program would affect state roads and noted a recent local bridge project. McKee clarified the Safer Streets list covers county roads, not state roads.

A motion to approve the grant request and fund the match from the highway budget passed on a voice vote; the motion was moved and seconded and was recorded as approved and referred to the county budget process.

Budget and timeline details beyond the five‑year match period were not specified in the meeting.

The commission’s approval authorizes staff to proceed with the application and to include the $600,000 match in upcoming budget considerations.