Consultant Wood O'Brien offers Madison County grant‑writing and grant‑management services to offset tax limits

Wood O'Brien, a government consulting firm with national staff, told Madison County supervisors it can support the county across the full federal and state grant lifecycle, perform needs assessments with department heads and provide grant managers who will handle reporting and compliance.

‘‘We start out working with a client typically in the pre award phase,’’ said Susan Selby, who identified herself as the local point of contact. Selby said the firm offers tools including a grant matrix and a grant readiness assessment to identify which opportunities best fit a local government’s needs and capacity, and that the firm is structured as a time‑and‑materials contractor rather than a percentage‑of‑award vendor. She added Wood O'Brien will not pursue downstream construction or engineering contracts for projects the firm helps fund.

Supervisors asked whether the firm would pursue grants that the county is unlikely to obtain and whether the firm would handle post‑award reporting. Selby replied the firm’s screening tools would identify realistic opportunities and that grant managers would oversee monitoring and compliance to reduce audit risk.

County officials said recent state legislative proposals that limit property‑tax increases are likely to increase the county’s reliance on external grant funds for capital needs such as ambulances. Selby said Wood O'Brien would work directly with department heads to identify priorities and then develop funding strategies and applications.

What’s next: Selby offered to connect county staff with Wood O'Brien procurement specialists to clarify fee structures and suggested follow‑up meetings and needs assessments with department heads if Madison County is interested in pursuing the contract.