Kennesaw budget session flags paving, stormwater and a $2 million federal grant that needs local match

City staff told the Mayor and Council that a recently received federal appropriation of $2,000,000 could support street resurfacing and other capital work but requires a local match of approximately $500,000. The presenter cautioned that certain match restrictions mean some of the $500,000 could not be used for engineering, which may raise the city's out‑of‑pocket costs.

Jeff said the grant is welcome but not without cost: "Great to get those federal dollars, but they're not cheap. They're not free," he said.

Staff also described prioritized paving and stormwater work: the budget proposes a $500,000 reserve contribution for paving and an additional $500,000 planned as the local match to the $2M federal appropriation. Stormwater requests include a $1,000,000 MacDobbs stream/stormline replacement project and a $1,000,000 storm improvement allocation for Cherokee Street and Ben King improvements.

In addition, finance staff said they are requesting about $1.5 million from prior‑year reserves to fund paving projects and grant matches. Streets out to bid and potential federal street resurfacing funds (~$3,000,000 mentioned as a process number) were discussed as contingent on accepting federal grant requirements.

Why it matters: these capital commitments shape near‑term construction schedules, require local matching funds and affect neighborhood streets and stormwater infrastructure.

Next steps: staff will return with further cost clarifications and bid results; the council will consider matching strategies and the tradeoffs required by grant rules.