Title
Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board approve minor revisions to Board of Supervisors Policy A-6, Grant Applications, to allow county Department Heads discretion in applying for and accepting grants of up to $10,000, in specific situations, and to update the format of the policy. (Est. Time: 5 Min.)
FUNDING: N/A
Body
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board approve minor revisions to Board of Supervisors Policy A-6, Grant Applications, to allow county Department Heads discretion in applying for and accepting grants of up to $10,000, in specific situations, and to update the format of the policy.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On December 12, 1987, the Board of Supervisors adopted A-6, Grant Applications, to allow Department Heads to apply for grants at their discretion, if the grant is related to the mission and vision of the department. The policy provided the sole authority for acceptance of all grants to the Board of Supervisors.
As part of Objective 2.2 of the Good Governance Goal in the Board-approved Strategic Plan, policies are undergoing review and update. The policy was revised to allow Department Heads to accept grants, in the amount of $10,000 or less, in order to expedite the dispersement process for small grants. These grants are generally community-based and some are time-sensitive; this revision reduces the time and steps for acceptance of the grant. To qualify for the expidited process, the grant application must not include any requirement for County funds, matching or otherwise, and be directly related to the mission of the department and the Strategic Plan. The department head must also notify the Board and the CAO of the intent to accept such grants at least three days prior. Where these requirements cannot be met, or for grants exceeding $10,000, the Department must obtain Board approval.
The policy was also reformatted and restructured slightly to differentiate between the purpose, policy, and procedure sections. No sunset date was originally assigned to Policy A-6, but a sunset date for review of the policy has been identified as August 15, 2021, four years from the recommended approval date, in accordance with Policy A1. Revisions to Policy A-6 were routed to department heads for review and comment, and a few changes were made to clarify the language.
The revised policy maintains the intent of the original direction to maintain the discretion of the Board of Supervisiors over the acceptance of grant funding and related obligations, while ensuring flexibility and efficiency in the grant application process.
A version showing the changes to the policy is included as Attachment B.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose to reject the revisions, or make changes to the revised version of the policy.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
All
CAO RECOMMENDATION
Approve the proposed revisions to Board of Supervisors Policy A-6.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the revised policy.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Upon approval of the revised policy, the Clerk of the Board will publish the updated Policy to the Board of Supervisors Policy Manual webpage.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Good Governance
CONTACT
Don Ashton, CAO