Powhatan board refines outside‑agency application process, recommends $10,000 for Willow Collaborative

Presenter (S1) summarized a reworked application and evaluation process for outside agencies that uses a scoring matrix tied to the board’s strategic plan; finance and staff members ran a selection team to score applications. Presenter said the process reduced reliance on historical funding and aimed to be more data driven: "They created a matrix based on the priorities of the board's strategic plan and then had a team... score each of the applications based on that matrix," Presenter said.

Board members pressed for transparency and accountability: several supervisors asked whether the county could audit financed recipients and whether the committee had local residents on it. Selection committee members (S9, S15) explained the committee reviewed submissions, asked for financials and recommended awards; the board agreed next year to require more documentation of actual use and suggested randomly reviewing past awardees' books. The board also discussed raising the outside‑agency pool slightly and reached consensus to recommend $10,000 for the Willow Collaborative in addition to other funding sources noted in applications.