Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ECWG grants enter final year; DEM warns DOE is tightening vehicle purchases
Summary
The Division of Emergency Management/Homeland Security and local jurisdictions were told the ECWG/EPWG grant portfolio has about one year left, balances remain at the county level, leftover funds will revert to DOE, and purchases of vehicles or ambulances now require explicit change requests.
Chair Jared Franco told the Emergency Management/Homeland Security working group that the federal grant portfolio is entering its final year and that unspent funds will revert to the Department of Energy.
"This is the official 1 year mark until this grant closes," Jared Franco said, urging jurisdictions to monitor budgets and submit change requests where necessary.
The working-group update listed county-level grant balances as reported during the meeting: Clark County $550,000; Elko $475,000; an item shown as $413,000 (name unclear in the transcript); another county entry $519,000 (county name unclear); Nye County $426,000; "Pike Pine" $566,000 (transcript spelling uncertain); and DEM $293,126. Franco said members may request a full accounting after the meeting.
Franco and staff cautioned that the Department of Energy has begun stricter reviews of purchases, particularly vehicles and ambulances. Jurisdictions seeking to buy vehicles not in the original approved budget must submit a project change request to Judith documenting the purchase, why it is needed and how it relates to response capability for a radioactive event. Franco said DEM will try to push reasonable requests through, but approvals may be harder to obtain.
Paul Melendres asked how jurisdictions should present proposed projects and whether change requests must be tied to a specific fiscal year. Franco replied, "It does not have to pertain to a certain year," and clarified the award runs from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2026.
Brian O'Neil said one jurisdiction's hazmat-response vehicle has a 22-to-24-month build time, which likely exceeds the grant period; DEM staff said they had not been told whether award terms can be changed to accommodate extended build schedules and that jurisdictions should plan to spend funds before the award ends unless told otherwise.
The working group was told balance-forward funds have already been assigned in accounting and that jurisdictions should contact Judith for budget details or to request changes. DEM staff — including Carol, Judith and others on the call — said they will continue to monitor federal guidance and provide updates.
Members were urged to stay on top of procurements and to submit clear documentation for vehicle purchases to increase the chances of DOE approval. The working group did not take formal action on budgets during the meeting; staff will follow up offline on change-request procedures and any updates from DOE.
