County weighs acting as fiscal agent to deliver ~$2.49M BLM recovery funding via SWCD

County staff described a potential Good Neighbor Authority path for the Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) to deliver recovery work funded by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), with the county serving as the eligible applicant and financial agent. Staff said the structure could put roughly $2.49 million on the ground for postfire recovery, with contracting and implementation performed by local partners and reporting/compliance managed under an intergovernmental agreement (IGA).

Court members discussed administrative fees and compliance under federal grant rules (Title 2 CFR Part 200), options to charge indirect costs or include administrative costs in the grant budget, and the need to designate a compliance officer (or delegate compliance tasks to SWCD) to avoid burdening county staff. County counsel and the treasurer will review the proposed IGA and the county’s administrative fee policy. Because the grant deadline is Sept. 30, court members scheduled a short special session on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. to approve any final application and to authorize the county judge to sign if documents were in order.

Why it matters: The proposal would accelerate local post‑fire recovery work financed by federal funds but shifts compliance and financial risk to the county as the eligible applicant. The size of the award and the administrative structure will determine whether the county’s indirect costs are covered and whether the general fund could be exposed.

Next steps: Staff will update the application to list Harney County as the applicant, draft an IGA with SWCD that spells out reporting and compliance roles, obtain input from county counsel and the treasurer, and present final documents at the Sept. 24 special session.