Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grant Guidelines topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County attorney presents revisions to EDA grant guidelines; board directs resolution and future approval
Summary
County attorney Sarah Johnson presented proposed updates to the EDA grant guidelines to limit awards to local governments for infrastructure projects and to add a narrow exceptions process; the board asked staff to return the draft as a resolution for formal adoption.
County Attorney Sarah Johnson reviewed proposed revisions to the Hardee County EDA grant guidelines at the April 1 meeting, telling the board the changes reflect statutory limits adopted in 2020 and earlier practice. Johnson said the draft removes nonprofits from eligibility and narrows awards to local government entities for infrastructure projects, while retaining language permitting economic-development objectives within those infrastructure awards.
Johnson also added a short exceptions section to allow the board to reconsider awards if a project’s circumstances materially change before funds are spent. “I tried to limit these exceptions… if the project cost has significantly changed, making completion of the project not feasible,” Johnson said. She proposed allowing an initial grantee to resubmit, but if an applicant misses the grant year, the funds would return to the pool for other applicants.
The board did not adopt the guidelines at the meeting. Johnson asked whether members wanted the item placed on a future agenda for a resolution; the board directed staff to bring a resolution and to continue review between meetings. The county manager said staff intends to begin receiving applications for the next cycle in May and to bring recommended rankings to the June meeting, with award agreements drafted for execution later in the summer and made effective Oct. 1 for accounting purposes.
Ending: The board instructed staff to return a resolution and continue review; the EDA scheduled an April 29 meeting to begin the new grant-cycle work and asked for status updates on active projects at that meeting.
