Sponsor: Parks & Recreation
Title
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Grant Agreement from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources for State Fiscal Year 2022
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Recommendation
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1. Ratify the submittal of a grant work plan to the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources for Local Capacity Services and Buffer Law Program Implementation Grants.
2. Accept and approve a grant award from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources for Local Capacity Services and Buffer Law Program Implementation Grants for the period of grant execution through December 31, 2024 in the amount of $113,434.
3. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the grant agreement.
4. Authorize the County Manager to enter into agreements and execute amendments to agreements, in accordance with the county’s procurement policies and procedures, provided the amounts are within the limits of the grant funding.
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Background and Rationale
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The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) provides grant funding to local units of government to deliver soil and water conservation services to their communities. The Local Capacity Services grant is a non-competitive Clean Water Fund grant for MN Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) and can used for the following categories: staffing, cost share, technology, and operations. The Buffer Law Program Implementation grant is for local administration of buffer law activities, such as providing technical assistance to landowners.
The Ramsey County Soil & Water Conservation division has received this grant for six consecutive years and has used the funding to support staff complement and the programs and services of the division. Also, the grant was used to support seasonal staffing needs.
For State Fiscal Year 2022, the Ramsey County Soil & Water Conservation division was granted a total of $113,434 for Local Capacity Services and Buffer Law Program Implementation. All Minnesota SWCDs were awarded $107,500 for local capacity services and an additional allocation was made based on a calculation of the amount of private land and public waters, which is $3,434 for Ramsey County. Minnesota SWCDs were awarded funding for buffer law program implementation, based on a formula. Ramsey County was awarded $2,500 for buffer law program implementation.
More information on the buffer law is available here:
<https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/environment/soil-water-conservation>
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
The Local Capacity grant will fund seasonal staff. These positions will be promoted for diversity and inclusion.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Work plan will be reviewed by the Ramsey County Parks & Recreation Commission, which is a community-based organization.
☒ Inform ☐ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The awarded grant will cover all associated costs, including administrative costs. No county match is required. Funds are included in the 2022-23 budget.
County Manager Comments
No additional comments.
Last Previous Action
On March 2, 2021, the Ramsey County Board approved a State Fiscal Year 2021 grant award of $108,931 from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources for Local Capacity Services and Buffer Law Implementation Program (Resolution B2021-100).
Attachments
1. 2022 Local Capacity and Buffer Law Program Implementation Grants