Iola City Council members have decided against filing for a federal grant they hoped could have funded reconstruction of U.S. 54 through town and other potential improvements, such as trail extensions.
Council members Monday cited the looming deadline as they rejected, 5-2, a motion to apply for a federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant.
The first paperwork to outline targeted projects, and projected costs, is due next Monday. A more extensive deadline, complete with an economic impact study, is due June 4.
“I’m not against it,” Councilman Bob Shaughnessy said. “We just need to be more prepared if we apply. I’m afraid if we get it too soon, we’re going to kick ourselves.”
“We’d be more prepared next year,” agreed Councilman Austin Sigg, who along with Aaron Franklin, was sworn into office at Monday’s meeting. “We still have a lot more questions than answers right now.”
City Administrator Carl Slaugh first spoke publicly about the TIGER grant at the April 13 council meeting. While the program has been around for the past six-plus years, it had been targeted almost exclusively for large metropolitan areas or for state departments of transportation.
New provisions in the grant qualifications, such as reducing the minimum project cost from $10 million to $1 million, have made it more appealing to rural communities such as Iola, Slaugh said.
Council members spoke about the TIGER grant for about 45 minutes before voting down Nancy Ford’s motion to apply for the funds.
“I’d hate to miss an opportunity” to receive federal funding, Ford said, pointing to comments from David Toland, executive director of Thrive Allen County, who said Thrive would be able to assist the city with economic impact services if the city were to file an application.
“I can’t speak to workload and time” involved with filing an application this soon, Toland said.
Toland noted the city was notified about the potential grant by Van Scoyoc Associates, a federal lobbying firm hired by the city.
“Van Scoyoc said, ‘You should probably look at this,’” Toland said. “It is unusual to have (a grant with) 100 percent funding. It’s also unusual that they’ve lowered the minimum project size from $10 million to $1 million. There seems to be a general leaning toward rural projects. Certainly, my recommendation would be to try.”
There would have been some cost for Iola had the city been successful in seeking the grant. The city would have been on the hook for all design costs, and Slaugh noted communities that offered up a matching portion of the project costs — say, 20 percent — have historically been more successful in their applications.
Even so, Slaugh admitted the city’s chance of being awarded the grant this year was “a long shot.”
Council members Ford and Beverly Franklin voted to apply for the grant. Shaughnessy, Sigg, Aaron Franklin, Don Becker and Sandy Zornes were opposed. Councilman Jon Wells, who had to leave Monday’s meeting early because of a schedule conflict involving his job as an instructor at Allen Community College, was not at the meeting when the vote occurred.
Zornes, meanwhile, wondered if the city should target potential projects other than U.S. 54 and trails.
“The south end of town needs new streets,” she said.
IN A RELATED matter, Toland was joined by former mayor John McRae, former city administrator Judy Brigham, Allen Community College President John Masterson and local banker Jim Gilpin in speaking on behalf of Van Scoyoc.
Slaugh has proposed on more than one occasion the city terminate its funding contract with Van Scoyoc, at a cost of $40,000, annually.
“If the community doesn’t want to grow, (the $40,000) is a total waste of money,” Gilpin said. “If the community does want to grow, it’s a great investment.”
“It is absolutely right that earmarks are no more, and earmarks were the original reason why the city contracted with Van Scoyoc to begin with,” Toland said. “But the reality is, that money is still out there, and there are different ways to get that.”
McRae admitted he initially was less than enthusiastic about the city’s hiring of Van Scoyoc — until he saw them in action.
“They’ll tell you what’s possible, what’s not possible, and who you need to talk to,” McRae said, adding that successfully applying for federal dollars requires connections to Washington, D.C. “Those people are as connected as it gets. It’s a good deal. If you utilize it, it’s a great deal.”
Brigham pointed to the personal relationships Van Scoyoc has both locally and with Washington officials.
“I treasure those relationships in D.C.,” Brigham said. “It’s important to keep them alive.”
Slaugh, conversely, noted his conversations with other community officials across the state.
“I sent out a question to find out if any other communities used a consultant or lobbyist in Washington, D.C. Four (communities) used them in the past, but no other city in Kansas that I know of still does so.
“They’ve done a good job in the past,” Slaugh continued. “But there are other things we could have used that funding for.”
In light of their comments, Beverly Franklin proposed the council consider forming a committee to work in league with Van Scoyoc to better utilize the company’s services.
No action was taken.
