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Carroll County EDA weighs serving as fiscal agent for United Way disaster-recovery donation
Summary
At its Dec. 17 meeting the Carroll County EDA discussed accepting a roughly $18,000 United Way donation for long-term recovery from Hurricane Aline and the possibility of acting as fiscal agent; board members said a community-based long-term recovery committee and written policies would be needed before distribution.
The Carroll County EDA Development Authority discussed whether to serve as the fiscal agent for a United Way donation earmarked for long-term disaster recovery at its Dec. 17 meeting. An EDA member said, "So they're going to write a check to the county for around $18,000." The board did not vote on accepting or disbursing the funds at the meeting.
Board members and staff described the donation as part of a regional pool drawn from damage reports after Hurricane Aline. Mister Bergeron, identified in the meeting as the county's emergency coordinator, outlined a recommended approach: form a small, community-based long-term recovery group to review applications and recommend awards, and require reporting back to United Way on how funds are distributed. "We're beginning to focus of of the 16 counties affected in Southwest Virginia through this, looking at long term recovery and a long term recovery group," Bergeron said, describing outreach to subject-matter experts and regional partners.
Members discussed committee composition and process details rather than making an immediate decision. Suggested members included representatives from faith-based organizations, the Department of Social Services, the Red Cross, veterans groups (VFW), and other local community stakeholders. The board discussed that the EDA could act as fiscal agent for the $18,000 and any future donations, but that doing so would require formal policies, clear application criteria, tracking/reporting to United Way, and a designated local review committee.
Meeting participants cited data used to justify the distribution approach: 77 reports recorded in CrisisTrack and 490 individual applications for FEMA assistance in the county. Board members framed the United Way donation as intended to fill gaps for households and properties that did not meet FEMA assistance thresholds.
The board asked staff to prepare informational materials and policies for review; one board member said the issue could be placed on a future agenda for a formal vote to become fiscal agent. The meeting did not adopt a policy or take a final vote on accepting or disbursing the donation.
Next steps: staff will assemble a packet of recommended policies, membership guidance for a long-term recovery committee and reporting procedures for distribution to United Way; the board indicated it may consider a vote at a subsequent meeting.
