"Grants are more than paperwork," the host said at the start of a county profile segment.

Julie Haegler, grants manager for the Camden County Board of Commissioners, described the grants process and its local impact. "I've worked for the county for 9 years," Haegler said, explaining that a grants manager identifies funding opportunities, prepares applications and ensures compliance with program requirements.

Haegler said awards typically take about three to six months from submission to decision, though she acknowledged some awards can take as long as a year. After a grantor awards funds and the grant is accepted, the Board of Commissioners must approve the grant award before the county begins project work or purchases. "Once the award has been given by the grantor ... the board of commissioners approves the grant award and then we can start the project," Haegler said.

Haegler described differences in project starts: equipment purchases can be made once approvals are in place, while construction projects follow procurement and contracting procedures. She said the usual period to complete a grant-funded project is about two years from award to closeout, during which the county submits quarterly financial and performance reports and processes reimbursements.

Haegler highlighted tangible local outcomes of that work: playground equipment in parks, emergency management agency (EMA) equipment used during hurricane season and new construction at the county health department. She summarized the county's recent grant success, saying, "Since May 2016, the county has received over $16,000,000 in grant funding." The figure was stated on-camera and not independently verified in the segment.

Haegler framed grants as a way to bring external dollars into Camden County while reducing the tax burden for local projects, and said seeing completed projects provides personal and public payoff from the administrative work of grant management.