By John Estridge
Franklin County Commissioners told Franklin County Economic Development President John Palmer they are interested in going after the HELP grant, but they do not want to partner with the Town of Brookville.
Palmer made the presentation at the Tuesday, September 21 Franklin County Commissioners meeting. And, from the first, Palmer suggested the county and town go together for this opportunity.
According to Palmer, the state will match up to $1 million in a grant that will help the county and town to spend its ARP (American Rescue Plan) money. That money came to the state and local governments earmarked for COVID-19 relief for tax money lost during the pandemic. Palmer said the county received roughly $4.4 million — $2.2 million this year and the same amount next year — in ARP money while the town has around $600,000 for a total of around $5 million.
HELP stands for Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program. The state wants the local governmental entities to earmark 30 percent of their respective ARP money for the HELP program. Palmer suggested the county put in $1 million and the town $500,000.
Palmer said the HELP is supposed to train the governmental entities on how to spend the ARP money. ARP is supposed to replace tax money lost during the pandemic and help to revitalize areas of the local economy such as tourism. Some suggestions Palmer talked about were concerning the tourism industry. As a way of revitalizing the tourism part of the county’s economy after the problems to tourism associated with the pandemic, the county could improve the county park or purchase land along the river to allow people to launch and recover kayaks and canoes without paying one of the local canoe liveries.
According to Palmer, he said a person has to be hired to take a 52-week program that would train the person to follow the grant and make the grant money in hand go farther by securing other grants, using the money to help the county and town. Also, the person could be instrumental in spending the ARP money correctly, according to ARP guidelines.
“It’s actually a good opportunity to get expertise here in the county that we don’t have here now,” Palmer said.
Palmer said the state does not want the governmental entities to rush into spending the grant money but to take up to two years to decide on spending opportunities.
According to Palmer, if the governmental entities spend the ARP money outside of the guidelines set up by the federal and state governments, then the local governmental entities would have to pay the money back.
The state will match $20,000 for the cost of the employee. Palmer suggested the county and town split their $20,000 evenly, $10,000 each. Palmer said the person could be a county employee or a contract employee. The latter would seem to be more palatable to commissioners because a contract employee does not receive county benefits. Franklin County Council would have to approve of the county hiring the person, according to Palmer.
Commissioner Tom Wilson asked what expertise and education the person for that position would need. Palmer said that is the tricky part because those elements are unknown.
Palmer said OCRA (Office of Community and Rural Affairs) said the county has a good chance in getting the HELP grant, but the chances would be enhanced by utilizing Brookville since Brookville has received OCRA grants in the past.
“That would enhance our chances of getting this grant,” Palmer said.
Commissioner Jerry Wendel was the first to ask about the county going on its own instead of in partnership with the town. Palmer again said it would be better to go with the town.
Apparently, Brookville Town Council President Curtis Ward was not completely for the partnership with the county, according to Palmer.
“I’ve already talked to Curtis, and they’re all for it,” Palmer said. “He had some other ideas, but I think the best thing is if we applied together.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to work together, that means we have to share…” Wendel said.
“Share the application,” Palmer responded. “They get their one third, and we get our one third.”
“They get to do what they want to do, and we get to do what we want to do?” Wendel asked.
Palmer answered in the affirmative with the town working on projects in the town and the county working on projects in the county.
Commission President Tom Linkel made the motion for Palmer to move forward with the application for the grant.
“I’ll go ahead and talk to the town,” Palmer said.
“I want to stand alone,” Wilson said. “I don’t want to be involved with any other, like the Town of Brookville or any other town.”
“You don’t want to do Brookville?” Palmer asked.
“I don’t think so,” Wilson answered.
Palmer again said cooperating with the town would make the application stronger.
“That’s my thought with everything that’s been happening,” Wilson said about going alone.
Linkel verbally agreed with Wilson.
Palmer again reminded commissioners Brookville has a track record of receiving grants. However, Palmer said the county could go on its own.
“But if you don’t want to go with Brookville, just say so, and we’ll go on our own,” Palmer said.
Wilson said he wanted to go alone, but the other two commissioners have voices also.
“I’m the same way,” Linkel said.
Linkel then changed his motion to say the county was going alone. Wendel said all in favor after Wilson seconded it.
Town council and the commissioners met earlier this summer in a joint executive session concerning the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) property at the intersection of Ninth and Mill streets in Brookville. INDOT moved from that spot to new facilities north of Brookville on Indiana 101. They offered the property to the county and town. When talking of the situation prior to and after the executive session, Ward often said the town had the right of first refusal on the property, thus controlling the factors around the sale and use of that property from INDOT.
The county wanted the salt structure on the property. Apparently the town wants the property as a parking lot or an empty lot. In the end, the town is going to pay the county $50,000 to tear down a maintenance building on the site, and the county gets to use the salt storage for 10 years.
Applications for the grant are due by October 1. Palmer said he would put in the time, and he will be assisted by Nick Lawrence of the Wheatley Group, the county’s economic adviser.
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