Commissioners signal support to pursue MakeMyMove relocation grant for Randolph, Leonardville and Ogden

Jacob Hansen, interim Riley County counselor, told the commission on July 10 that county staff needs direction to submit a grant application and sign a related contract with MakeMyMove, a relocation program. The application deadline is July 18, Hansen said, and the vendor is expected to complete most of the grant paperwork while the county would supply a small portion of the application and be the local administrator.

The matter is tied to interest from three small towns — Randolph, Leonardville and Ogden — which Hansen said have expressed willingness to participate. "Do we go ahead, get the application ready to go, and then we'll, of course, submit it to you guys for final approval," Hansen told commissioners. He asked for consensus so staff could finish the contract and grant paperwork on a short timetable.

Nut graf: The MakeMyMove program offers direct relocation incentives intended to attract new residents; county staff said the program reimburses relocation payments and that state funds are drawn before local funds. Because the grant requires the county to administer local payments and reporting, staff warned commissioners there could be a fiscal and administrative impact in 2026 and that early direction is needed to meet the tight submission window.

Hansen described how the program pays relocation incentives to families and individuals and the likely payment schedule. "They pay each one of them a total of $5,000 from relocation — $2,500 come for the first year, and after the first year, they get the other," he said. He added MakeMyMove expects state funding to be exhausted first and that local draws would follow later; Steve Smith (quoted by Hansen) told staff the county likely would not be drawing local funds before mid-February and perhaps not until March of the following year if the grant is awarded.

County staff flagged two practical issues: (1) administering the program will require county staff time for finance and reporting; and (2) the timing creates a potential FY2026 budget obligation that commissioners should consider when they authorize participation. Hansen said staff can prepare the application and return the final documents to the commission for formal approval; commissioners signaled a willingness to proceed so staff could meet the deadline.

Ending: Hansen said staff would aim to finish signature-ready documents Monday if possible and otherwise prepare them for the next available business meeting. He advised the commission that approving final contract execution would still be a later, separate formal step at a public business meeting.