Counties Consider Sharing Grant Writer

By Gordon HopkinsA substantial portion of the money toward county projects, such as road repair and broadband expansion, comes from grants. A great deal of time and resources are being spent in applying for these grants. Jefferson, Gage and Seward counties are therefore considering contracting with a grant writer.Jefferson County Commissioners discussed possibility at a meeting on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Commissioner Mark Schoenrock said, “I was contacted by Seward and Gage County. They’re interested in going in with Jefferson County to hire a grant writer, the cost of which will be shared equally by the three counties.” Schoenrock explained the need and also why the proposed grant writer would be working with multiple counties, “We just simply don’t have the expertise in county government to go through and do all those grant applications. The other thing that, as we’ve learned from our applications for grants, if you can go in together and collaborate with other counties, so if it’s not just Jefferson County applying for the grant, you go in with Gage County or Seward County, you put together a grant application from all three counties, it actually puts you in a lot stronger position to be successful for the grant. So, we think it’s got good potential.”Gage County Supervisor Emily Haxby has recently applied for numerous federal grants that, if successful, would bring in millions of dollars to pay for bridges, roads and even a new fire hall. Schoenrock said, “I can’t believe the number of hours she put in on those grants.”As for the cost of a grant writer, Schoenrock said expense would be split three ways between the counties. He said the cost estimate would be, “Somewhere around $90,000 a year plus benefits. It would be a contract position, but it would be inclusive of those costs in the contract. They would not be a county employee.”No decision was made at the meeting. Schoenrock pointed out the proposal was still in the early stages, “There’s a lot of those kinds of details that we still have to work through. Right now, it’s a concept that sounds attractive.”

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