Agency reviews implementation costs for $1.3 million federal transportation grant; shared-services grant-writer recommended

Agency counsel updated the board on a federal transportation grant valued at $1.3 million and briefed members on expected local implementation costs and procurement needs.

Counsel said the grant award will require administrative and procurement work to satisfy state and federal requirements and estimated the local cost for staff time and associated work at roughly $20,000. He reported the borough’s shared-services grant writer provided a proposal to perform the required work for $12,000 under a shared-services arrangement that would allow the borough to run the RFP and manage multilingual advertising, selection of planners and ongoing compliance.

“It's a $1.3 million grant,” counsel said, and added that the $12,000 shared-services fee might be recoverable from the grant itself, subject to final eligibility. He recommended the board consider approving the shared-services arrangement at the next meeting and noted the agency would pay the upfront cost and seek reimbursement once the grant is formalized.

Board members did not take a final vote on the agreement during the meeting; counsel indicated staff would return with a contract for approval at the next meeting and would pursue grant-funded reimbursement where allowable.

Next steps: staff will present a shared-services agreement for board approval at the next meeting and will attempt to structure the contract so the $12,000 management fee can be claimed from the grant if permitted by grant rules.