Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County grant manager details $21M portfolio, USDA delays and plans for training
Summary
The county grants manager reported managing 44 grants in 2024 (total award value $21 million), detailed program complexity and delays with USDA grants, and proposed a May–June grant-writing course while flagging a possible $300,000 congressionally directed records-management request for the sheriff.
Suzanne Sierra, Cheshire County's grant manager, told the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 12 that the county’s grants portfolio is extensive and administratively complex and that recent federal processes have introduced new uncertainties for applicants.
Sierra said the county managed 44 grants in 2024 with a total award value of about $21 million and that $5 million of revenue flowed in during the year. She said 28 grants were direct to the county while roughly 16 involved fiscal sponsorship for other organizations; 13 new grants launched in 2024 and the department is managing dozens of deliverables, financial reporting cycles and procurement rules.
On process challenges, Sierra described an extended, time-consuming USDA award that the county ultimately canceled after determining local compliance costs would consume a large portion of the award. "It was...the most time consuming grant I have ever worked on where we have not yet spent any money," she said, adding that repeated requests and newly revealed requirements made the award untenable.
Sierra also described priority proposals under development, including a congressionally directed records-management and records-access package for law enforcement (an estimate of approximately $300,000 was discussed), requests for mobile data terminals under JAG funding, and other local priorities. She said a successful records-management application would be two years from cash flow to implementation even after a successful award.
On service priorities, Sierra said the department offers free grant-writing assistance to towns and nonprofits, and she proposed a grant-writing training series (Tuesdays, May 6–June 10) and an annual grants-refresher session for county staff. She said the training could include practical workshopping and a county-tailored grant-search session.
Commissioners asked about a Safe Exchange & Visitation grant that had been denied twice. Sierra said denials stemmed from the lack of a required, specifically worded court commitment; the funder demands phrasing that the courts will implement and operate specific project elements, not merely offer general support. Sierra said the county will continue outreach to the courts and to program partners to develop the necessary letters of commitment before reapplying.
Sierra cautioned that federal grant cycles and rules were changing rapidly, making scheduling for training and applications uncertain. She said that, despite volatility, the county should continue writing grants because available federal and private opportunities are significant and competitive.
