Polk County Commissioners Court — Polk County — Nov. 25, 2025: Polk County officials on Tuesday highlighted a significant expansion in outside funding and new procurement practices they say have boosted competition and saved taxpayer dollars.

The Grants & Contracts presenter (identified in the transcript as Speaker 7) told the court the department’s workload has expanded since 2018: "This last year, we had 73 grant projects," the presenter said, and the office now manages "approximately 285 active contracts." The presenter also summarized the department’s return on local match, saying, "For every every $1 in local match Polk County has spent, we've received approximately $4.22 with outside grant funding." The presenter encouraged residents and departments to propose projects that could attract outside funding.

Why it matters: Outside grant funding and tighter contract management can expand infrastructure, public-safety and community programs without relying solely on the county’s operating budget. Commissioners framed the reports as evidence the county is leveraging external resources to address roads, broadband, water systems, disaster recovery, public safety equipment and other priorities.

Details from the reports: The grants presenter said the department’s portfolio includes projects for road and bridge improvements, broadband, water systems, disaster recovery and cybersecurity, and noted a planned transition of grant and contract tracking into a county management system to improve coordination. The presenter said the department had grown from a handful of grant projects in 2018 to dozens today and emphasized community-driven ideas as a source of new projects.

The purchasing and procurement office (Speaker 8) reported operational changes that the office said have already produced savings and improved competition. The office has implemented BeaconBid, an online bidding platform "at no cost to the county," and said it now reaches "over 4,000 vendors" rather than a few hundred. The presentation included solicitation counts (FY23: 19; FY24: 24; FY25: 23) and cited reductions in avoidable sales tax and credit-card charges, noting Walmart purchases were reduced by nearly $15,000 and Citibank charges declined by about $50,000 year over year.

Quotes: "BeaconBid comes at no cost to the county and has significantly improved our vendor outreach," Speaker 8 said. The grants presenter asked residents to stay engaged: "If we don't know what you need, we can't fight for the funding to make it happen."

What’s next: Both departments said they will continue process improvements — including centralized ordering and additional staff roles for contract management — and welcomed project ideas from residents and departments.

Ending: The court thanked both presenters; the reports were received and used to inform later budget and capital discussions at the same meeting.