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Daniels County staff outline plan to pursue federal SS4A funds as region considers collective application
Summary
Officials discussed the U.S. DOT SS4A grant (transcript: $650M for projects, roughly $250M for plan-writing), deadlines (preliminary April 24; final May 26 as stated) and options to form a multi-county collective or apply for funding to write a safety action plan to be competitive in future rounds.
Daniels County officials and regional partners discussed a U.S. Department of Transportation SS4A grant opportunity during the April 2 meeting and considered a collective application to increase competitiveness.
A presenter briefed the group that the current SS4A solicitation includes roughly $650 million for actionable build projects and about $250 million for developing safety action plans; preliminary applications were stated as due April 24 and final applications May 26. The presenter said the program gives priority to rural areas and communities where 20% or more of the population lives below the poverty line, and that a comprehensive safety action plan is required to compete for many of the project awards.
Why it matters: The presenter and several attendees said regional coordination among counties could allow Daniels County and neighboring jurisdictions to pool resources, share a safety plan, and pursue either funding to write plans now or an omnibus project application. A county-level 20% local match figure was cited for project awards.
What officials discussed: Participants explored two paths: seek funding now to write a safety action plan (making counties ready to compete in future SS4A rounds) or organize a collective application that would include multiple counties to pursue build funding this cycle. The group noted the application window is short; officials urged fast decisions on who will write the grant and whether counties will combine into a joint proposal.
Local context and next steps: Jamon Howell (MTech, Montana Emergency Communications) and other staff said the state’s existing MDT safety plan contains useful data and could be referenced, but counties still need a granular local plan that specifies channels and roles for responders at crash scenes. Attendees agreed to continue conversations; one participant offered to serve as a conduit to connect interested counties and share contact lists. If Daniels County chooses to pursue plan-writing funds, preliminary application steps were noted as time-sensitive to meet the stated April 24 deadline in the meeting record.
The meeting closed with staff agreeing to stay in touch on next steps and on compiling a list of counties interested in a collective application.
