Pratt County staff weigh taking on regional family planning parent-agency role; budget authority is key

A coalition representative (S9) told commissioners that applications for multiple public-health grants for 2026–27 are due March 15 and proposed Pratt County become the parent agency for the family planning grant because Pratt has the largest participant base in the coalition.

S9 described the contract structure and administrative compensation: the administrator position is typically paid a percentage of the grant (discussed as roughly 5–10 percent in the coalition materials). S9 asked whether Pratt County could take on the parent role and said she would be willing to do it, but commissioners and staff flagged budget-authority and budget-law questions.

County staff recommended creating a separate grant fund to track the inflows and outflows (keeping coalition grant activity outside the regular county budget) and said they would confirm with the county’s budget officer and counsel (Scott and April) before the county applied. "I would be willing to take it and try it," S9 said, "because everyone still has to do their own work. I just do the majority of it by computing it all based on what they give me." Staff said they would provide a clear answer next week on whether the county can serve as parent agency and noted the grant would technically start July 1 if awarded.