PRESENTER: Presenter
Jennifer Gates, Grants Coordinator
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SUBJECT: Title
Approval of a resolution, ratification for submission of two applications to the Alamo Area Council of Governments’ FY2024 & FY2025 Regional Solid Waste Management Grants Program, and authorization for the City Manager to accept funds and to execute all contract documents associated with the grant, if awarded.
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DEPARTMENT: Finance
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Strategic priorities for the New Braunfels City Council include using a variety of funding sources for operational and capital needs. On October 27, 2023, Staff submitted two grant applications on behalf of the Public Works Department, Solid Waste and Recycling Division, to the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG), FY2024 & FY2025 Regional Solid Waste Management Grants Program. The referenced program is administered by AACOG as directed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The granting agency’s Request for Application provided funding opportunities for two separate fiscal years.
FY 2024 Application: The City has requested grant funding in the amount of $6,000 in TCEQ pass-through grant funds, combined with a proposed $1,200 match, and $3,382 for in-kind costs that will be utilized to procure approximately 33,000 cart hangers, which will be distributed citywide by City staff. These hangers will serve as a vital component of the City’s marketing campaign, to effectively convey information and messaging to residents regarding what types of items are, and are not, acceptable in the City’s single-stream recycling program. Improper placement of waste items into recycling bins causes cross-contamination and results in loss of recyclable materials to landfills and increased disposal costs to the City. As this would be for the City’s current fiscal year, no matching funds have been budgeted for this project. In-kind costs are the calculated wages of the City employees who will distribute the cart hangers.
FY 2025 Application: The City has requested grant funding in the amount of $14,000 in TCEQ pass-through grant funds, combined with a proposed $8,400 match, that will be utilized to procure and mail approximately 33,000 6’’x11.5’’ informational postcards citywide. These postcards will serve as a vital component of the City’s marketing campaign, effectively conveying information and messaging to residents regarding what types of items are and are not acceptable in the City’s single-stream recycling program. The total cost for the postcards is estimated to be $22,400; the City intends to budget for the remaining cost with matching funds in the amount of $8,400 in FY25.
Staff has submitted two separate applications - only one resolution is required - for the projects to the granting agency as the grant submission deadline was October 27, 2023. As such, Staff is requesting City Council approval for ratification of the submission of the applications, approval of the associated resolution, and authorization for the City Manager to accept funds and to execute all contract documents associated with the grant, if awarded. Grant awards are anticipated to be announced by March 2024.
ISSUE:
Submission of the grant applications for the Alamo Area Council of Governments’ FY2024 & FY2025 Regional Solid Waste Management Grants Program supports the City’s Strategic Priorities as follows:
Use a variety of funding sources for operational and capital needs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no matching requirement for the grant. However, to make the grant application more competitive, the City’s Public Works Department, Solid Waste and Recycling Division, will provide match funding and in-kind services. The matching funds will be paid from the Solid Waste Division budget for the associated Fiscal Year.
|
Project |
Grant Request |
Cash Match |
In-Kind |
Total Project Cost |
|
Cart Hangers |
$6,000 |
$1,200 |
$3,382 |
$10,582 |
|
Postcards |
$14,000 |
$8,400 |
$0 |
$22,400 |
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of a resolution, ratification for submission of two applications to the Alamo Area Council of Governments’ FY2024 & FY2025 Regional Solid Waste Management Grants Program, and authorization for the City Manager to accept funds and to execute all contract documents associated with the grant, if awarded.