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Commission debates manager’s proposed delegated authority to submit recurring no‑match grants; defers revision
Summary
County staff proposed allowing the manager to submit recurring, no‑match grant applications on short notice; commissioners asked for clearer 'no match' language, mandatory rapid ratification at the next regular meeting, and safeguards, and deferred the proposal for rewrite.
County Manager Jordan Barela presented a proposed amendment to the county's grant‑approval policy (Resolution 2019‑47) to allow delegated submission of recurring, no‑match grants to the County Manager when short deadlines would otherwise preclude Commission action. The proposal would allow application submission only for recurring grants that require no cash match; any award would still require Commission ratification.
Commissioners expressed guarded support for addressing tight deadlines but repeatedly asked for stronger safeguards. Chairman Schwebach raised concerns about past grant pitfalls (citing a prior sheriff's grant that ultimately required layoffs and a large payback) and requested explicit inclusion of in‑kind match in the 'no match' definition and mandatory presentation of any application at the next regular meeting for potential redaction. Commissioner McCall likewise urged strong language protections and permanent oversight measures since future commissions may not share current working relationships with staff.
The board voted to defer action and asked staff to return with amended language clarifying match definitions, ratification timing and the role of the grant committee.
