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Village board backs pursuing Smart Growth grant to update comprehensive plan
Summary
The Village Board opened a resolution process to authorize a county-submitted Smart Growth grant application to update Mount Morris’s comprehensive plan; the county planner said the minimum state award is $75,000 with a 15% local match for disadvantaged communities and the application is due July 31.
The Village Board of Mount Morris voted to move forward with a resolution supporting a Smart Growth Community Planning Program application to update the village comprehensive plan, after hearing details from Theodore Griswold of the county planning department.
Griswold told trustees the state program has a $75,000 minimum award and that Mount Morris qualifies as a disadvantaged community so the required local match is 15%, down from the normal 25%. He said in‑kind services may count toward the match and that typical projects often run closer to $100,000 depending on scope. "We have confirmed that in kind services are allowed to be part of the local match," Griswold said during his presentation (county planning department, S5).
Board members discussed budget implications and process. One trustee asked whether an older plan would disadvantage the village when competing for grants; Griswold said municipalities with more recent comprehensive plans are often more competitive because plans serve as a foundational document for zoning and grant applications. He described the contractor-led process — public engagement, surveys and multiple hearings — and noted contractors often handle the public outreach and drafting work.
Trustees asked about timing and costs: Griswold said the application deadline is July 31 and that the award notices usually come in December or January, with the requirement that the village demonstrate it can provide its share of the match if awarded. The board asked for a draft resolution to formally authorize the county to submit the application on the village's behalf.
Next steps: the board requested a draft resolution for consideration and discussed forming a steering committee and volunteer inputs (for example, a sidewalk inventory) that could be leveraged as in‑kind match. The application process and final budget will be set in the resolution and any subsequent contract approvals if the grant is awarded.
