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Porter Group says Ely close to federal funding for public‑safety upgrades; $5M earmark cited
Summary
Council received a Porter Group update indicating a $5,000,000 Senate Commerce/Justice/Science earmark for first‑responder communications and described outreach on WaterSmart and CRISI grant opportunities; council will review Porter Group's contract renewal in March.
Council members on Jan. 22 reviewed an activity report from the Porter Group on federal and state funding opportunities for Ely. Councilman Terrill Trask summarized recent progress, and City Clerk Jennifer Lee noted that the First Responder Communication Equipment Upgrade was listed as fully funded at $5,000,000 in the Senate Commerce/Justice/Science (CJS) report language.
The Porter Group report described ongoing efforts to pursue Bureau of Reclamation WaterSmart funds for a water‑meter project, reworking the CRISI rail grant submittal strategy with Federal Railroad Administration staff, and other federal outreach. Lee said staff are following up to secure remaining Green Up reimbursements and that the council’s Porter Group contract is scheduled for renewal in March; Porter is preparing recommendations for possible future activities.
Why it matters: council and staff said federal grants and earmarks have materially supported local infrastructure projects (for example, camera and reimbursement work cited by the mayor). The $5 million designation in Senate CJS language, if enacted in final appropriations, would pay for a communications upgrade intended for first responders.
Council next steps: staff and council members said they would review a Porter Group proposal and discuss how the city wants to use the firm going forward during the budget season and at an upcoming council meeting.
