Committee briefed on planner hiring and grants; staff flags CLG and county support

A staff member told the Historic Preservation Committee that the interim planner recruitment is moving forward: roughly 30 applicants yielded seven candidates selected for next week’s initial interviews, and the committee heard a target timeline of "hopefully by the second week of February" for an offer.

Staff also said they are connected to the Certified Local Government (CLG) program and that the CLG grant cycle is irregular (about every 18 months); they estimated the next CLG round could provide about $15,000 but noted the committee may not yet be eligible for the next cycle. Separately, the committee discussed a $10,000 line item that was added to the county’s biennial budget for preservation programming; members were advised the funds exist in the budget but their release will depend on current county administration and the community development director.

The committee asked staff to keep the group informed of interview results and to share links to grant opportunities as they appear; staff agreed to continue tracking state and federal opportunities and to handle contracting and reporting for grants when awarded.

Next steps: staff will circulate candidate and interview schedules, share grant links with the committee, and follow up with county administration about the availability of the tentative $10,000 county allocation.