Staff member outlines options to recover grant-related costs and pursue enforcement on private property

A Staff member told the council that recovering state grant funds may be difficult and outlined a legal path the city can use to seek cost recovery on private property.

The staff member said it "makes sense that he wouldn't be able to recover" state-provided funds in many cases unless specific state funding mechanisms apply, and warned the city should not assume automatic reimbursement from the state. The staff member also described an enforcement option for private property: "So you do have an option to declare a property and you send it to court and inquiry loan costs and bringing it up and then recovering it," noting that court proceedings can be used to collect costs the city incurs.

The staff member offered to provide written guidance and online resources to help the city navigate limits on the use of local resources and grant rules. "I have materials that we can circulate to you all about, limits in our rail con, use of our resources for today," the staff member said, and pointed to outside guidance: "The Institute for Local Government and the California department of staff and the administration, they all have, sort of, implement the materials on their website pertinent to handling activities, and, pandemic, and use tax leverage." The staff member said they would work with the city manager to coordinate distribution of those materials.

No formal motion or vote was recorded during the remarks. The staff member concluded by offering to circulate materials and support the city's next steps, leaving follow-up actions to the city manager and council as appropriate.