Title
Amending Chapter 2.02 of the Administrative Code to add Section (G)(10) establishing an Office of Financial Services grants section.
Body
SECTION 1
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has received and managed grants from federal, state, local and private funders; and
WHEREAS, the federal government is currently making historic billion-dollar-plus investments through grant programs like the American Rescue Plan, Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, providing critical infrastructure and transportation funding; and
WHEREAS, grant resources represent 25-30 percent of the City’s annual revenue; and
WHEREAS, departments across the city apply for and manage grants, often independently and without centralized coordination; and
WHEREAS, departments have a wide range of levels of capacity, staff, and technical knowledge on grant seeking and grants management, including departments with no dedicated grant staff or specialized training in grants management; and
WHEREAS, grant applications may result in contracts with implications for the city’s legal, human resources, and financial commitments, including commitments to hire and retain new staff, provide non-federal matching funds such as general fund dollars, or comply with unknown regulations; and
WHEREAS, federal grants applications and grants management can be complex, with faulty grants management resulting in audit findings, corrective actions, needing to return grant funds, or not being awarded new grant dollars; and
WHEREAS, in 2024, the City budgeted for funds to establish a central Grants Office in the Office of Financial Services with the purpose of supporting City departments in pursuing and managing federal, state, and private grant dollars; and
WHEREAS, a centralized grants office will create greater oversight and citywide coordination across departments, communication around the same funding streams, and data on grant funding at an enterpris...
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