Burleson staff outline grant pursuits for parks, library, capital projects and public safety

Assistant to the city manager Jana Lee Hembry presented an update on Burleson’s grant activity and loaned/award outcomes across multiple departments, asking the council for direction and noting timing for pending decisions.

Hembry summarized that parks staff applied for a suite of grants (including Texas A&M Forest Service programs for forester/arborist positions and tree-planting expansion) and said those applications total just under $1.5 million across projects. She told the council that a Green Ribbon Phase 2 grant — partnered with a $250,000 GCCA award — would extend a city beautification project and that, if awarded, the city would be responsible for design and construction administration and a local match estimated at roughly $115,000.

Hembry said the library applied for state and local grants (including a Texas Book Festival collection-expansion grant and a summer programming grant funded by H-E-B) and reported previous awards in the range of roughly $77,000–$78,000 in recent years. She added that some federal library reimbursement grants remain on hold and that staff will monitor updates expected in June.

Capital engineering staff described several federal and state funding opportunities tied to major projects. Hembry noted TIP/STIP and TxDOT-related funding for a widening project on State Highway 174 and other corridor projects; she said the federal/state/local funding mix affects project timing and that federal earmark decisions were pending with the congressional office of Roger Williams.

On public safety, staff reviewed awards and pending applications: the Victim Assistance Coordinator position received a three-year grant award (staff reported the grant was awarded at $54,000 annually), while the Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) application would have expanded ambulance fleet capacity; staff said the AFG program’s priorities this year may not favor expansion projects and that some federal earmark requests were not eligible to expand EMS fleet under the particular program applied for. Hembry also described a paramedic tuition program supported by state legislative funding that provides per-student tuition assistance.

Hembry told the council that staff intends to continue pursuing local, state and federal grants, will work directly with grant administrators to improve application success rates, and will return with more detailed cost estimates or supplemental budget requests where required.

Quote: "We're monitoring the decision and should hear back about June." — Jana Lee Hembry

The briefing generated questions about prioritization of road earmarks and a council request for a follow-up discussion on options to use federal grant underwriters or lobbyists for complex federal opportunities.