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Wildfire coalition warns $2.2M federal grant won’t go far without upfront county help
Summary
Hill Country Fire Coalition told Kendall County commissioners that a $2.2 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant is administered as full reimbursement, creating cash‑flow problems for the coalition and small contractors; the coalition requested county assistance to bridge upfront costs so implementation can start.
Representatives of the Hill Country Fire Coalition updated the Kendall County Commissioners Court on April 28 about a $2.2 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant administered by the U.S. Forest Service and managed through Texas A&M Forest Service.
"The Community Wildfire Defense Grant is a 2,200,000 U.S. Forest Service award over the next 5 years," said Christine Gang of the coalition during the court presentation. Coalition staff said the award is administered on a reimbursable basis and that, to date, no county agreement has been executed and no funds have been received. The county’s FY2026 allotment in the coalition application was cited as $88,000.
Chris Dibrell, the coalition’s project manager, told the court that the reimbursement model requires the coalition or contractors to pay costs up front and then wait for reimbursement from the Texas Forest Service, which the coalition estimates could take four to six weeks. "For a small nonprofit, paying upfront and waiting for reimbursement is a challenge," he said, noting that the cash‑flow lag could limit the coalition’s ability to meet project targets.
Coalition representatives described a wildfire risk reduction program launching in June to provide property risk assessments and to make awards to homeowners and homeowner associations unable to access federal or state funding because of eligibility criteria tied to area median income. The coalition said it is prepared to perform unlimited property risk assessments but cannot complete on‑the‑ground work at scale without addressing the upfront funding gap.
Commissioners acknowledged the problem and asked county staff and general counsel to explore contract language or budget mechanisms to allow limited county advances or interim funding to ease cash‑flow constraints. Commissioner Carpenter asked staff to look at budget and contract changes similar to those used for fire departments. The coalition said it will return with a suggested plan once it has had time to research options.
The court did not take a formal funding vote during the presentation; staff were directed to work with the coalition and return with options for addressing the reimbursement hurdle.
