Agency explains Franklin County Field Days grants on hold; $26,000 from FY22 likely subject to reallocation

Agency of Agriculture staff told the House Corrections & Institutions Committee that capital grant dollars awarded to Franklin County Field Days have been handled differently across fiscal years and that some unexpended funds are eligible for reallocation under statute.

Trevor Lel, assistant director of the development division at the Agency of Agriculture, said the FY22 $26,000 award was executed but no funds were drawn and the grant agreement has since expired; that money is being held by the agency but, under statutory rules discussed in the hearing, unexpended funds beyond a three‑year period should be reallocated into future capital acts. FY23 and FY24 awards (about $30,000 and $27,280) were not executed as agreements and have been held in anticipation of a land purchase that would allow the fair to relocate; the agency awarded $28,430 in FY26 for three mobile trailers to enable operations at a temporary site and confirmed the trailers have a 20‑year useful life.

Scott Moore of the Joint Fiscal Office told the committee that micro‑level grant tracking sometimes does not appear in JFO reports because once funds are in an agency line item the agency manages reallocation decisions. Committee members asked whether the FY22 dollars should be returned to the capital fund; agency staff said the FY22 amount likely must be reallocated to the capital bill given the statutory three‑year deadline but also flagged the unusual circumstances of the fair's mandated relocation and asked for committee guidance.

The committee did not adopt a final reallocation decision on March 18; members and agency staff discussed the policy implications of making exceptions (which could require adjusting allocations to other fairs) and encouraged the fair to pursue partnerships with regional development entities to address a multimillion‑dollar land purchase if it is to secure a permanent home.