Commissioners debate swapping ReadyOne and ReadyTwo grants to finish fairgrounds project

Sept. 17, 2025 Decatur County commissioners discussed a proposal to swap the final phase of a cityled ReadyOne Main Street project with the countyled ReadyTwo fairgrounds project so the county could access nearly-ready ReadyOne funds to complete a building project at the fairgrounds. The commissioners did not approve a swap at the special session; instead one commissioner said he would discuss terms with a state contact and would only support a swap if the state guaranteed automatic approval of ReadyTwo's second phase.

Officials at the meeting said ReadyOne has just under $1,500,000 remaining, while the ReadyTwo request the county would pursue totals $1,950,000. A commissioner said the state disperses ReadyOne dollars quickly once approved but that the County still must obtain state sign-off. "The dollars in ReadyOne are ready to be dispersed by the state," one speaker said. Another commissioner cautioned that dividing the ReadyTwo project into a building portion and an electrical upgrade could lower the economic-impact score used in ReadyTwo evaluations and place the second phase at risk of not receiving later funding.

"My concern has always been that if we're solely splitting the electrical upgrades for the ReadyTwo economic impact analysis that it's going to score lower," one official said. The same official said he would consider a swap only if there were a guarantee that approval of the ReadyOne package would automatically include approval of ReadyTwo's electrical phase; he said he would speak with "Mason" to seek that assurance. No formal motion was taken; the discussion closed with staff directed to continue negotiations and seek written assurances from state administrators before altering the county's application strategy.

The discussion also noted regional benefits: reducing the number of projects in the region would help close out other awards and could give the city more time to meet project timelines. Commissioners did not vote on any transfers or commit county funds at this meeting.