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Commissioners press local organizer after county grants were applied for without prior board notice
Summary
A local organizer told commissioners she submitted multiple grant applications for public-safety radios, vehicles and other equipment; commissioners said they were not notified before submissions and discussed procurement, matching funds and reimbursement timing.
A county-funded grants controversy consumed a large portion of the Oct. 21 meeting after a local organizer reported she had submitted several grant applications on behalf of the sheriff and fire departments without prior consultation with the County Commissioners.
The organizer explained she had applied to state and private funding sources, including a state METAP fund that uses a first-come, first-served award queue, and a federal discretionary program; she said she expected reimbursement within roughly 30 days after purchase for some state awards. "I submitted an application to the METAP grant fund ... I'm expecting to hear back in the next 30 days," she told the board and presented application materials.
Commissioners and staff expressed concern that the county's procurement and budget authorities were not consulted before applications were filed. One commissioner noted that purchases above a threshold require county approval and that grants with reimbursement terms still must pass the county's procurement and budget-review processes so that the county can receive funds through its treasury and comply with audit rules.
The commissioners did not rescind any applications but asked staff to treat the incident as a procedural lapse. They discussed options including allowing the applications to proceed while ensuring any required county match or purchase approval is routed properly, or withdrawing applications if they pose budgetary exposure. Commissioners and staff emphasized that any awarded funds must be recorded in county accounts and that purchases tied to reimbursement cannot be executed outside county procurement procedures.
The organizer apologized for overstepping and said she would not submit further applications without prior commission sanction; commissioners encouraged her to coordinate through county staff and to place requests on an agenda for formal approval going forward.
Next steps: County staff will confirm grant application statuses, advise whether reimbursements require county fronting of funds, and ensure procurement and budget rules are followed for any awarded grants.
