Title
Discussion on Staff Recommendation to Reallocate Unused Watershed Management Board (WMB) Funds to Supplement the FY2027 WMB Program Budget.
Staff Summary
• There is up to $248,458.25 of unused WMB funds due to previously approved projects being completed under budget, reduced in scope, or not completed after project agreement extensions. Staff have coordinated with each applicant to appropriately close-out these projects.
• The WMB Administrative Policies include the following provisions to guide funding recommendations:
o Available project funding for each fiscal year shall be divided by watershed using the equalized assessed valuation of the property within each major watershed.
o If there are funds left over in a given watershed after staff recommendations for funding all of the projects that meet this minimum score, the remaining funds can be recommended by staff or allocated to an ‘above minimum score project’ in another watershed. Staff recommendations would follow the needs-based priority order of 1-Fox, 2-Des Plaines, 3-North Branch, 4-Lake Michigan.
• The above provisions have been adequate for funding recommendations within a given fiscal year.
• SMC Staff recommend releasing up to $248,458.25 in unused WMB grant commitments and returning the funds to their respective watershed funding balances for FY2027 award through the established WMB grant process.