St. Clair County seeks grant administrator as it moves $1M Coosa Valley EPA award toward implementation

Commissioners on the St. Clair County Commission on Tuesday directed staff to solicit rate sheets from professional grant administrators to manage an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) federal grant and to support administration of a $1 million CDS award tied to an EPA grant for Coosa Valley.

The county will request proposals from at least three professional grant administrators because, officials said, federal funds require procurement of professional services. A commissioner said the county must name a grant administrator to avoid federal compliance issues and possible audit findings.

The ARC grant requires a formal procurement; staff said they will email multiple firms and return with rate sheets and a recommended administrator. The presenting commissioner said the administration work should be cheaper because another community is already administering a similar grant, and estimated local administrative fees at roughly $5,000–$7,000 pending written quotes.

Commissioners also discussed a $1 million CDS appropriation for Coosa Valley that the county has already received but for which an application must be completed in order to secure the award paperwork. Staff said Coosa Valley will receive the funds directly but will need assistance preparing the written grant application and handling administrative tasks. The commissioner who reported the issue said Byron Woods had reviewed the materials and told the group that the request for extra help was outside the normal scope for his office and that additional administrative support would be appropriate.

Commissioners asked staff to return with specific fee quotes and to place the item on the next work session agenda for formal action. No final contract or administrator was selected at the meeting.

The item remains subject to further review by the county attorney and formal procurement procedures before any contract is executed.