Contract Review Committee sets weekly grant-review schedule, schedules interviews and deliberations

The Contract Review Committee on Oct. 24 confirmed a compressed review calendar for grant decisions, assigned lead reviewers for individual applications and scheduled applicant interviews and deliberations.

Chair Veronica Volczyk told members the committee will meet weekly on Fridays through Nov. 21 to complete grant reviews, saying the period is the committee"heavy meat-and-potatoes" portion of the year and stressing attendance. Interviews with applicants are scheduled for Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon, and deliberations are set for Nov. 21. Members were assigned as lead reviewers for specific program and operational applications; the chair asked reviewers to do a "deep dive" on their assigned proposals and to surface questions in advance for any follow-up interviews.

Policy and constraints: Staff reminded members that no single award from the program grant fund will exceed $100,000 per fiscal year and that substance-misuse settlement and remediation funds must be used only for substance-misuse services. The committee discussed internal best practices for deliberations: members advocated for a minimum of five participants during deliberations to reduce the likelihood of tie votes and considered options for breaking ties (re-vote, additional discussion, or use of a delegate), but no formal rule change was adopted.

Next steps: Staff will circulate interview questions and the applicant interview schedule. The committee will continue assigning reviewers and collecting questions for applicants in the coming weeks so interviews can proceed with prepared topics.