HENNESSEY TOWN TRUSTEE SIMUNEK’S PLAN

 Town Council Notes For Town Council Meeting, Thursday, August 13, 2020 by Richard Simunek 

I am introducing two motions this evening.  The first motion is to establish a Grant Writer Position/Program.  The second motion is to place the following item on the Town Council agenda for all future Town Council meetings: “Community Development, Long Range Planning, and Grants.”

The purchase of the two used rusted steel buildings with their leaky roofs as well as the consideration given to tearing down the old Library/History Building readily demonstrates the major mistake made by past Town Councils.  The $20,000 purchase of the two used rusty steel buildings with their leaking roofs documents the Town Council’s complete lack of knowledge of grants and how they work to improve and enhance a community.  Seeking grants automatically infers long range planning.

This is a mistake that has cost Hennessey taxpayers not thousands and thousands of dollars but hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Why has this occurred? 

Voluntary Hennessey Firefighters must complete training to be certified.  Hennessey Police officers must complete training to be certified.  Annual training is often required.

Town Council members must be trained in community development and grant classes and worshops offered by the Oklahoma Municipal League and various Oklahoma State Agencies.  Historically, Town Council members have not attended these classes specifically designed to help towns and communities achieve a better future.

For example, the REAP Grant Workshop is held in Enid, just 20 miles away.  Yet, no past or current Town Council member has attended the workshop.  The Grant Writing Workshop sponsored by the Oklahoma Municipal League is in Oklahoma City, just a little bit over an hour away.  Yet, no past or current Town Council member has attended the workshop.

Because the Town Council has not actively pursued grants, Hennessey citizens are paying for street maintenance and automated water meters out of their own pockets while subsidizing other towns who are receiving REAP and CDBG grants for street maintenance and automated water meters.  REAP and CDBG grants are funded by taxpayers including, of course, Hennessey taxpayers.

Let’s go through three examples.

REAP GRANTS (Example 1)

Hennessey received a total of $416,452 from Fiscal Year 1998 to 2010, an annual average of $32,034.  Then, inexplicably, Hennessey stopped submitting grants.  See “REAP Grants received by Hennessey” handout.  The purpose of having “Community Development, Long Range Planning, and Grants” as a continuous Town Council meeting agenda item is to insure consistency and continuity in seeing grants into the future.  Hennessey should be applying for REAP and CDBG grants annually.  The Town Council should have been doing this 10, 20, and 30 years ago.  Long term goals should have been identified, priorities established, and grants sought according to established priorities.

AUTOMATED WATER METERS (Example 2)

Hennessey taxpayers are paying for the town’s automated water meters (AMR) out of their own pocket and, at the same time, subsidizing other towns who are receiving REAP grants to install AMR meters.

Billings received a $71,970 REAP grant, Helena $45,735, Kaw $25,810, and Ringwood $33,657 for AMR water meters.  See “Fiscal Year 2020 REAP Grant Awards” handout.

The money for REAP grants and CDBG grants are from taxpayers, including Hennessey taxpayers.  Therefore, Hennessey taxpayers are fully paying for AMR water meters out of their own pockets and, at the same time, subsidizing towns like Billings, Kaw, Ringwood, and Helena.

 STREET IMPROVEMENTS (Example 3)

Canton, with a population of 596, received a CDBG-REAP Match Grant of $272,727.26 in Fiscal Year 2020 for sidewalk and street maintenance.  So, once again, Hennessey taxpayers are paying for Hennessey street improvements out of their own pockets and, at the same time, subsidizing other towns who are actively seeking and receiving street improvement grants.  See “Fiscal Year 2020 REAP Grant Awards” handout.  If Canton, with a population of only 596, can pursue and receive a $272,727.26 grant for street improvements, we in Hennessey certainly should be able to do the same.

This concludes the three examples.

PAVILION

The Town Council spent $20,000 for two used rusty used steel buildings with leaking roofs for a proposed Pavilion.  It would have been an architectural disaster.  It could have been so much simpler and better. 

Grants generally require a 20% to 25% contribution by the grant seeker.  The town paid $50,000 for the old lumber yard land.  The lots cost $47,000.   And, finally, the town had $20,000 to throw in the pot.

That is a total of $117,000 for a contribution by Hennessey to apply for grants.  With this $117,000 contribution, Hennessey could have applied for grants up to a range of $468,000 to $585,00 and put something architecturally pleasing on that land for a Pavilion.

The Town Council’s $20,000 purchase of the two rusty buildings with their leaky roofs has completely stalled the Pavilion project.  As stated previously, the $20,000 purchase of the two used buildings documents the Town Council’s complete lack of knowledge of grants and how they work to improve and enhance a community.

Hennessey can have a beautiful architectural pleasing Pavilion.  It can be done through Hennessey Foundation giving and grants.

OKLAHOMA TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

The Enhancement Program of the Oklahoma Transportation Department (OTD) is another source of funding, including sidewalks.  But that is not why I listed them here.  Rather, OTD was funding historic preservation projects for which would have been ideal for the Hennessey Library/History Center.  However, that historic preservation program was canceled for Fiscal Year 2020.  An opportunity was lost.  See “Oklahoma Transportation Department” handout.

Note the large amount of OTD grants.  Many OTD grants range from $400,000 to over a half million.  Our neighbor Okeene received a grant for $438,179.  Cherokee received a grant for $671,054.  Thomas received a grant for $633.086.

GRANTFINDER SOFTWARE PROGRAM

Following the Grant Writing Workshop sponsored by the Oklahoma Municipal League a year ago, I requested the Grant Writer software costing $50 be purchased.  It has taken a year for the town government to order the software.  It’s frustrating to say the least.

The following is taken from the Oklahoma Municipal League regarding the GrantFinder software.  “Unlike other research tools on the market, GrantFinder is not filled with extraneous grants that may not be relevant to cities and towns.  We’ve searched and sorted through thousands of grants to identify more than 7,500+ federal, state, corporate, and foundation grant programs available to municipal organizations.”

“The program allows municipalities to search for grants specific to their needs by utilizing 10 unique search filters.”See GrantFinder handout.

The GrantFinder software is an example of the assistance provided by the Oklahoma Municipal League and State agencies to help communities—but is largely ignored by the Hennessey Town Council.  Hennessey should have had this GrantFinder software years ago.

 SUMMARY

Community development and long- range planning are probably the most important issues on a community’s Town Council agenda.  This is true for many communities and towns across the USA.  This is not the case for Hennessey because there is no money.  For Hennessey, there is no money because it does not actively pursue and promote the Hennessey Foundation and lacks a consistent grant writing strategy involving long term planning. 

If Hennessey is to maintain streets, parks, and other existing amenities and establish new amenities like the Pavilion, it will have to be through the Hennessey Foundation giving program and grants.  There is no alternative.

END