Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Government Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council discusses sign-replacement grant match, health grant contracting and 74 housing applications
Summary
Auditor and council members reviewed a $918,000 sign-replacement grant that requires a county match (~$12,000 net cost if $120,000 is spent), authorized additional appropriations including a verbal approval request for $11,000 to hire a grant writer for HFI funds, and noted 74 housing grant applicants for about 24–25 available home-improvement slots.
The county auditor briefed the Orange County Council on several funding items and asked for approvals. The auditor said the county's sign-replacement grant totals $918,000 and includes a $120,000 additional appropriation request; the auditor characterized that appropriation as 90% reimbursable, leaving roughly $12,000 of county funds if the full $120,000 is spent.
The auditor also described a restricted local public health services request for $7,000 to cover electrical monitoring costs and asked for verbal approval to appropriate $11,000 to contract with Jamie Walker Grant Consulting to pursue health-related grant opportunities and manage required HFI reporting. The auditor said the fund currently has more than $200,000 in rollover that should be spent on projects that improve county health outcomes.
On housing, a council speaker reported that the housing grant application window closed March 3 with 74 applicants and funding to complete approximately 24–25 home-improvement projects; interviews and inspections are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
The council moved and voted to approve the advertised appropriations together during the meeting; the auditor said some additional items will be advertised for the April meeting and sought verbal approval to proceed where noted.
Next steps: County staff and the auditor will process the grant-match appropriation, bring the grant-writer contract documentation back for formal approval after attorney review, and begin outreach to housing applicants.
