February 9, 2010 in City

The high cost of free

Projects and programs feel pinch as grants are rejected or returned

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Local governments often turn to grants to supplement tight budgets, but Spokane County is so broke it can’t even afford “free” money.

Facilities Director Ron Oscarson recently had to give back a $500,000 state grant to renovate the county courthouse because he couldn’t come up with $1 million in matching funds.

It’s difficult to let go of money already in his grasp and not be able to do work he had planned, Oscarson said.

Preserving the historic landmark courthouse and making it more functional is a labor of love for Oscarson.

“The history here is just amazing,” he said. “I would love to put back the marble countertops and the kind of woodwork that they had originally, but there are things you can’t do with today’s costs.”

Oscarson has laid out $6 million to $7 million worth of work that focuses heavily on efficiency: replacing antiquated heating and cooling systems and making better use of available space.

A $1.6 million grant, matched equally by the county, enabled renovation of the courthouse tower – where wind tilted the flagpole – and part of the first floor.

Eventually, the project will allow people to conduct routine business without having to take off their belts for security scanners. Family law courts – and metal detectors – will move from the first floor to the second. The high-traffic auditor’s, treasurer’s and motor vehicle registration offices will join the assessor’s office on the first floor.

Turning back the $500,000 grant will further slow a project that was supposed to have been completed last year.

However, the county was able to substitute a $354,164 grant from a different state program. That grant required only an equal match.

“We have tried to be very strategic about this,” said Jennifer Stapleton, who was hired two years ago as the county’s first grant administrator.

In addition to ensuring that grants are properly administered, Stapleton’s job is to make sure county departments don’t apply for grants that require more paperwork than they’re worth.

Also, Stapleton said, “We aren’t using resources to apply for funding that we are not in a position to match.”

She said county officials had hoped a $700,000 federal grant would provide most of the match for the ill-fated $500,000 courthouse renovation grant. But the county’s application was rejected.

Sheriff’s officers are similarly frustrated in their efforts to cut jail costs by helping inmates stay out of trouble when they are released.

A $750,000-a-year state grant might restore a community corrections program that was shut down in December for lack of money. But the county can’t afford strings that would come with the grant.

The “Second Chance” grant program ordinarily requires local governments to put up an equal amount, but a hardship provision would reduce Spokane County’s share to 50 percent.

However, even if the county could find the $375,000-a-year match, it would have to continue the program for two years after the three-year grant expired.

The county would be on the hook for more than $1.1 million a year – with nothing but red ink in sight.

Two weeks ago, county commissioners told sheriff’s Lt. Mike Sparber to avoid applying for the grant unless he can find a way to supplement it.

“I just don’t think it’s possible,” Chairman Mark Richard said.

Stapleton said grant givers are showing no inclination to reduce matching requirements.

Rather, with the state budget also in tatters, grant programs are shrinking – sometimes even after awards have been made.

Stapleton said a lot of federal grant money flows through the state, which may keep a greater share for its own uses.

“We’re at the bottom of the trickle-down,” she said.

Last week, county commissioners had to accept a $533 reduction in a $5,616 federal grant for Juvenile Court services and an $899,134 reduction in a $3 million grant to the Community Services Department.

The $3 million grant was to have helped 600 to 700 people with housing and job training after they were released from jail. The three-year pilot program ends in April 2011.

Community Services Director Christine Barada said the cut will reduce housing subsidies and supervision to help former inmates turn their lives around. “The sheriff is very interested in trying to expand these types of programs because they have shown a great reduction in recidivism,” Barada said.

Even long-term state and federal contracts aren’t what they used to be.

Most of Barada’s social service programs rely on regular allocations from the state and federal governments, not competitive grants.

Except for Medicaid mental health funding, which already was at the state’s lowest rate, formula-based payments were cut substantially in the current July-through-June fiscal year.

Barada said a 6.5 percent, $675,000 reduction in non-Medicaid mental health programs was offset by a special $700,000 state allocation for sending patients to Eastern State Hospital. But prospects for another special allocation are uncertain.

The county’s substance-abuse programs took a $1.2 million, 17 percent hit in the current fiscal year.

Also, Barada said, the county’s allocation to pay nonprofit organizations for developmental disability programs is down 7.7 percent, about $500,000.

“We are anticipating that there will be further reductions, but it is difficult to determine at this point what those might be,” Barada said.

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10 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  ChefGus on February 09 at 1:31 a.m.

  The complete lack of forsight of the two male commissioners with regards providing services instead of lock up for our mentally ill, drug dependent and low income folks is not wise in my opinion. As a person who volunteers every day with the homeless and mentally ill at Shalom i KNOW that the paltry little budget we run our program on garners great return on investment.. a person with a full stomach from a balanced breakfast with protein and fat and carbs will get through the day they face with much more grace and much less angst than otherwise. Maselow's hierarchy of needs places food shelter and safety at the head of the list in ALL cultures…

  What part of basic peace and justice don't those two men get?? Dr John A Olsen Spokane

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• 

  A Hyatt on February 09 at 5:58 a.m.

  Chef:
  That's why the people of Spokane need to wake up and vote them off the commission! I don't know who is up for re-election this fall, but hopefully the good folks who live here don't just go with him because he's a familiar name. We need those two OUT.

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• 

  sixandseven on February 09 at 7:02 a.m.

  1) So why did we squander so much money on a racetrack?

  2) So where is all this money we are getting through grants going to? We need to drill down to where the pennies are falling since it appears there is a lot of waste.

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• 

  MrDavis on February 09 at 8:17 a.m.

  The county has laid off employees, defunded effective, subsidized programs and is not prosecuting felonies and misdemeanors because of budget cuts, but continues to pour millions into the racetrack, and is scheduled to pour millions more into Avista Stadium. Who's interests are being served? Certainly not the citizens of Spokane County.

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• 

  Lewis on February 09 at 8:35 a.m.

  our county and city government are not concerned in the least bit about the citizens of Spokane. That is why we have a race track. No foresight no planning, just impulse buying.

  every county and city official making more then 65 grand a year should take a 20% pay cut, I would bet that is a chunk of change.

  Spokane doesn't need 100 grand a year cops, this isn't LA.

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• 

  Graydon Baucom on February 09 at 9:02 a.m.

  Not only do we have a race track, but the commisioners just voted to spend 500K more on it and we are on the hook for the previous opperators improvements. This is sheer incompetence on the part of the county Commisioners Todd Mielke and Mark Richard, they should resign immediately and the the Moe property should be sold at a loss.

  G. Andrew Baucom

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• 

  Gramma on February 09 at 9:24 a.m.

  We don't have money to do the things that NEED to be funded, yet the city council votes to give themselves assistants that will now work 28 hours a week. Isn't the council position a part-time position? How can a part-time position garner an assistant? They say they need these assistants because they (city council) attend more functions. Well, that's what council members do. That's part of their duties! They knew it when they ran for office.

  I don't believe the council should be able to vote on anything that benefits only them. Be it pay raises for themselves, hiring assistants, more money for assistants, etc. It should NOT be allowed!!!!

  I'm sure the 3 employees that got their wages reduced to help pay for the assistants to work more hours are really happy that the assistants got pay/hourly raises. Makes sense to me. Riiiiight.

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• 

  Wendy Richard on February 09 at 12:55 p.m.

  John, this is Mark Richard signing in under my wife's username.
  You know full well my personal involvement to spearhead major improvements in the way we care for our mentally ill, in championing the ballot measure to increase funding for mentally ill, to expand our Mental Health Court and divert those suffering out of our jail, so your comments are not just a mistake, they are an aggregious political stunt.
  You also know full well that I am the lead commissioner working with Sheriff Knezovich to reform our system, to expand our alternatives to incarcaration and to provide housing, employment and services to our most in need in the creation of our community corrections center.
  I championed an historic agreement with the city of spokane that more effectively gets funding to where the homeless are and not hung up on jurisdictional boundaries and served as the Board's lead on the Regional taskforce to end homelessness.
  I led efforts in reforming our RSN to provide better services and greater accountability.
  I am spearheading a revival of our suicide prevention task force focusing on prevention for teen suicide.
  So you can distort and fabricate all you want, and some will even believe you; but you will not fool the majority who have appreciated my leadership in these areas of human services for our most vulnerable.
  Mark Richard
  County Commissioner

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• 

  sixandseven on February 09 at 2:33 p.m.

  So Mr. Richard, what about that racetrack?

  Your credibility would increase if you admitted it was “a bigga mistake”.

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• 

  ChefGus on February 10 at 12:10 a.m.

  Money spent on “racing” may need to be done for the economy, and i am not able to comment on that… but it is the pivot that my comments above circle around… hard to understand an advocate for the mentally ill and drug affected spending our tax dollars on that purchase and the likely deeper hole it will carve out of our budget.

  For all of the very good things you have done, this particular direction for the county is very hard for those of us in social services to understand.

  The “second study” with the same result for siting a new County Jail, when many of us feel that expansion of the aforementioned services, some of which have been cut (the sheriff's pilot project which worked for instance) might be a better way to spend dollars… instead of a new jail…

  Food, safe shelter, and adequate continuing drug and alcohol treatment does work.. and does reduce recidivism and does then reduce the need for a new county jail.

  The 20-30 year impact of reduced water access in the Southern Calif and Phoenix Basin lead me to think that “water refugees” are going to find our County with an aquifer a wonderful place to relocate.. likely 500K new citizens coming in over that time frame… and we will need transportation and social services for that impact.

  This is not a “political stunt:” it is advocacy for things I deeply believe in…

  I am not a politician, but a volunteer at the street level, and may have a perspective that is widely different from yours…

  In my past life I've been where you are.. ( at the top).,, and i am currently “called” to the bottom… a life style choice that does not include race tracks and fast cars….

  My choices are consistent with my life's calling and there is not much in the way of cognitive dissonance with me if you ask my friends and associates.

  Thanks for you comments…. Dr john

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