Development committee to fund 2026 economic development grants from reserves, sets June 18 application deadline

The Saratoga County Development Committee agreed to fund 2026 economic development grants from carryover reserve accounts and set a June 18 deadline for applications, staff told the committee.

Staff presented a draft application that includes a sample maximum award of $8,000 per project and said the county has about $194,000 in unallocated reserves that could be used to fund awards. "We have about 194,000 in the reserve unallocated," the staff member said. Committee members discussed keeping the placeholder award conservative so the fund could support more projects.

The committee was told the 2026 program will be financed from reserve balances rather than the general 2026 budget because funds originally allocated in prior years did not close. Staff described the reimbursement process: applicants submit costs, staff tracks requests and, when eligible amounts are met, a reimbursement request is made to the county auditor and the payment is issued. Staff emphasized the program does not require a local match: "100% match," a committee member noted in discussion of the funding rules.

Staff said it will compile all applications into a spreadsheet and return to the committee at the next meeting with summaries of each project and the total amount requested. That review is expected to occur in July, with awards decided by the committee after that summary is presented. When asked about reporting, staff offered monthly summaries and, if the committee prefers, the underlying tracking spreadsheet; the committee agreed quarterly reporting would be acceptable.

Staff said most projects will have roughly 12–18 months to complete work if awarded in July or August; staff also noted that outstanding 2025 awards must be completed by later this year. A resolution will be drafted for the law and finance agenda to standardize applications and reimbursement procedures across economic development, trails and open space so that, after award decisions, reimbursements are handled administratively and do not return to the committee for a second approval. Staff said the committee would still receive regular reports on activity.

A committee member moved to approve the 2026 economic development grant program; the motion was seconded. The transcript records the motion and second but does not record a roll-call vote tally.

Next steps: staff will post the application with a June 18 deadline, collect and summarize applications, and present award recommendations to the committee at the July meeting; a resolution to streamline processes will be drafted for the law and finance agenda.