Pasco outlines federal funding wins and priorities ahead of Washington advocacy

Ralph Lair, Pasco County's intergovernmental affairs officer, and Tracy Pugh of Ballard Partners presented the county's federal platform and recent appropriations to the board on Jan. 20.

Lair said Pasco has secured roughly $694 million in federal grant awards over the last three fiscal years, including about $585 million in CDBG-DR passthrough funds. He reviewed community project funding requests and reported that recent appropriations included partial or full awards for several projects: $1,000,000 toward a Crystal Springs chlorine booster station, $3,000,000 for a road expansion on Spiro's campus, and $4,000,000 directed to the area agency on aging for affordable senior housing.

"Pasco has received $694,000,000 of federal grant awards over the last 3 fiscal years," Lair said, and staff urged commissioners to prioritize projects for the upcoming Surface Transportation reauthorization and Water Resources Development Act processes.

Ballard Partners' Tracy Pugh said agency meetings in Washington are critical and recommended prioritizing conversations with Army Corps, HUD and DOT alongside meetings with the delegation. Commissioners discussed directing some partial appropriations to fully fund shovel-ready projects, coordinating regional letters of support, and continuing follow-up for reversioned CARES funds that may return to the county.

Next steps included refining the county's list of priority projects, scheduling agency meetings during NACO and other advocacy trips, and pursuing committee language where appropriate to enable flexibility in funding uses.