Local Government Water Supply
Funding Assistance Program

During 1999, the Board of Directors of the Authority moved to participate with local governments in providing funding assistance for water supply projects. Monies for these projects will come from the Authority's Water Resource Capital Projects Fund. The source of monies for this fund comes from revenues secured from the Charles A. Black Water Supply Facility jointly owned by Citrus County and the Authority. Other funds from the Authority administration budget may be utilized as they are available. The criteria for possible funding of a local water supply project are as follows:

  1. The project must be within the Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority jurisdiction and must be for a member local government.

  2. The project must relate to water supply or be a water resource project that affects the provision of water supply.

  3. The project must be approved by the submitting local government's City Council or County Commission prior to submittal to the WRWSA. A resolution of support for the project and commitment of funding by the local government should accompany the application. The Authority, in its sole discretion, will evaluate and approve/disapprove each project based on its merits.

  4. The Authority Board of Directors will establish the amount of money available each year for inclusion in the funding program. The maximum funding level for 2004 through 2006 has been established as $125,000 per year. The number of approved applicants will determine the amount of funding for each project. However, the Authority established a policy in 2004 of funding up to 1/2 of a project budget up to an amount not to exceed $50,000 per project.

  5. The local government applicant must provide a scope of services for the project that describes the objective of the project, the tasks involved in the project, the cost per task and the time frame for completion of the project. Generally, the Authority requests that the local government expend it's pro rata portion of the project budget before the Authority begins paying its pro rata portion.

  6. Local governments that have received approval for a grant from the Authority shall not be eligible for another project grant until the previous grant project has been completed:

  1. Completion of a project shall mean that the total project or the phase of a project for which the grant was used must have been completed. Completion shall also mean that payment for services funded by the grant has been made by the local government and a request for final reimbursement of the two-thirds contribution by the Authority has been sent by the local government and received by the Authority. An exception to this procedure may occur when the local government has shown evidence that the money to be expended has been encumbered, but for scheduling purposes, has not yet been expended. However, the monies must be spent within a specified timeframe proposed by the local government and approved by the Authority. The Authority shall only reimburse the local government for monies actually expended. [Approved July 16, 2003]

  2. Projects for which Authority funding constituted only a part of the total project must have a formal resolution from the member local government that the balance of the project will be completed.

  3. In setting funding priorities during a grant funding cycle, projects for which Authority funding constituted only a part of the total project will defer priority first to projects for member governments that have never been funded and second to previously funded projects that have completed their total project.

  1. If either the approved project tasks or the project time frames are changed, the project applicant must revise the scope of services as soon as they are known and receive approval of these revisions from the Authority at a regularly scheduled meeting. Approved changes will be incorporated into the local government contract.

  2. The application process will open on May 1 of each year and close on the last working day in June. The applications will be considered by the Board during its July and August Board meetings as necessary. Awards will be made after the September Board meeting. Local Government contracts will be prepared by the Authority's Attorney and Executive Director and approved by the Authority Board and submitted to Local Governments for review and approval by January of the following year.