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Planning staff proposes single community‑grant process with $20,000 cap and new scoring
Summary
City planner Tapia proposed combining small and large community grants into one project‑specific application with a $20,000 maximum, a new scoring category focused on local community impact, a five‑minute presentation step, and clarified eligibility for community groups and nonprofits.
City planner Tapia presented a set of proposed revisions to Rockaway Beach’s community grant program that would combine the small and large grant tracks into a single application stream and set a maximum grant request of $20,000.
"So instead of administering two grants, a small grant and a large grant, basically combining those two into a single process," Tapia said, describing the change as intended to make applications project‑specific and easier to parse. Tapia said applicants could submit more than one project application, but each must be project‑specific.
Tapia also described timeline and review changes: applicants would have a five‑minute presentation to the Planning Commission, and commissioners would have roughly a month to score applications and make recommendations before City Council action. The proposed rules add a new scoring category that emphasizes the project’s impact to Rockaway Beach communities and asks whether the grant is essential to the applicant.
Commissioners and council representatives raised concerns about definitions and distributional effects. Mayor McNeely said she "couldn't more strongly disagree with that move," warning that combining streams could concentrate funds and reduce awards to very small community groups. Other commissioners suggested tightening the definition of "community entity" (for example, using the word "group" instead) and adding provisions — such as earmarks or minimum percentages — to preserve funding for smaller projects.
Staff recommended adding a requirement that projects proposing a partnership with a city department submit a department head letter of support to improve coordination. Tapia said staff will workshop language on community entity definitions and on presentation and closeout timing.
