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Lincoln County commissioners deny Port Authority’s Title 3 funding request
Summary
The commission voted to deny a motion to fund one year of the Lincoln County Port Authority’s $244,816 MSA request after debate over scarce Title 3 dollars and public-safety priorities; staff warned Title 3 is not expected to be reauthorized for 2025–26.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted to deny a motion to fund the Lincoln County Port Authority’s Title 3 MSA request at their May meeting.
Commissioners considered a two-year request for $244,816 but heard from staff that the county’s Title 3 balance would cover roughly one year (about $122,000) and leave little or no carryover. A motion was made to fund a single year of the request at approximately $122,408; the motion failed on a voice vote (the transcript does not include a roll-call tally). The chair announced, “It is denied.”
County staff presented the Title 3 account history, saying the pre-meeting balance was $498,231.16 and that recent awards had reduced available funds. Jesse Hayek, Lincoln County director of mining and floodplain administrator, urged commissioners to consider eligible emergency equipment for flood response, saying, “it does appear that the money can be used for emergency equipment, for responding to flood emergencies,” and offered to submit an itemized list.
Commission discussion centered on competing priorities. One commissioner argued Title 3 should be reserved for local fire departments and other emergency services rather than funding a port program now, noting the need to prioritize countywide, long-lived public-safety investments. Another member urged an immediate up-or-down vote rather than a contingent approval pending counsel review.
County staff (Jeff Nelson) told the commission that federal Title 3 funding had not been reauthorized in the continuing resolution and cautioned that, “we will not have title 3 funding this year for '25 or for '26.” He recommended holding the funds for emergency services and reconsidering the Port Authority request in September if unused funds remained.
Because the commission did not approve funding, no grant award or contract follow-up was authorized. The item will return to the agenda for future consideration only if the county’s available funding changes.
