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Pasco County hears federal funding strategy; lobbyist cites $9M in requests and sets Oct. 13 workshop
Summary
Ballard Partners outlined a federal advocacy plan to secure more than $9 million in project requests for Pasco County, urged early engagement with the incoming congressional delegation and scheduled an Oct. 13 federal workshop to finalize priorities for the next appropriations cycle.
Pasco County commissioners on July 14 heard a federal-advocacy briefing from Ballard Partners that framed the county’s push for federal grants and appropriations as the calendar moves toward the 120th Congress.
“Over $9,000,000 in federal funding has been submitted,” Ballard Partners’ Tracy Pugh said, summarizing the county’s active project list and the status of appropriations committees. The presentation reviewed a timeline for appropriations and grant-seeking that stretches from the summer recess through the next congressional session.
Ralph Lear, the county’s intergovernmental affairs officer, said the briefing aims to align county projects with the timing and priorities of members of Congress. He announced a county federal legislative workshop on Oct. 13 at the West Pasco Government Center to finalize the county’s federal priorities and invite congressional staffers.
The presentation highlighted several projects already in the pipeline: an East Pasco emergency shelter that secured $5 million in the state budget after a multiyear push; a Rangeland Boulevard extension framed as a multimodal evacuation route; and funding for firefighter equipment, including a decontamination truck. Pugh described two parallel tracks for funding — congressional appropriations and direct federal grant work with agencies — and urged commissioners to prepare project-level materials well before member submission deadlines in spring 2027.
Commissioners discussed timing for fly-in trips to Washington and the value of meeting new congressional staffers early, noting that Pasco will be represented by three members in the next Congress and will have more submission slots to pursue. The briefing also included a recommendation that the commission identify project sponsors and submission counts ahead of the October workshop so staff and lobbyists can prepare appropriately.
The county intends to continue tracking the appropriations and grant timelines and to brief commissioners ahead of the Oct. 13 workshop, which county staff described as the next step for formalizing Pasco’s federal agenda.
