Valley County staff reports $1.03 million in FY25 grant receipts and lays out FY26 grant-management priorities

County staff presented a summary of FY25 grant activity and a framework for FY26 grant management, telling commissioners the county received $1,030,000 in grant funds already deposited for FY25 across multiple departments.

Ken, the staff presenter, said the total $1,030,000 represents awards and reimbursements the county has on hand and noted other applications remain pending. He laid out three priorities for the coming year: (1) obtain and implement a grants-management software system to track opportunities and streamline reporting; (2) incorporate project managers and department heads into that system so they can track project-level grant status; and (3) improve awareness and training at leadership and project-manager levels on grant program applicability and the 12- to 24-month lead time for many opportunities.

Ken identified high-priority projects for grant pursuit, including fairgrounds facility projects and upgrades to the 911 system, and said staff will coordinate with department heads to identify needs and appropriate funding sources. Commissioners asked whether certain grant programs, such as CDBG, could support both the community center and fairgrounds in the same year; Ken said he would confirm but expected individual projects are treated separately. Commissioners also discussed pursuing a T-Mobile grant with an estimated $50,000 award, though Ken cautioned that the program is competitive and nearing its application deadline.

The staff presentation is intended to guide FY26 grant strategy; staff said they will work with project managers to align projects with funding opportunities and return with confirmations and application updates as needed.