Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 4 - ADMINISTRATION › Part VII - Governor's Office › Chapter 19 - Rural Development › Section VII-1903 - Application Process

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. Rural
				development applications are available from the Office of Rural Development to
				all who request them. All requests for information may be submitted via mail to
				the Office of Rural Development, Box 94004, Baton Rouge, LA
				70804-9004.
B. Municipalities,
				parish governments, school boards, other units of government, and special
				districts are eligible to apply for rural development funds. All applicants
				must be authorized by law to perform governmental functions and be provided
				governmental body support, and must be subject to state audit.
C. Current population figures are used to
				determine the eligibility for funding of municipalities based on appropriations
				by the legislature. The funding is outlined in the ORD application guidelines
				for rural development grant funds.
D. Funds from this program cannot be used to
				pay consulting fees charged to a unit of government for the preparation of the
				application, for administrative costs by agents of the project sponsor or any
				third party, or for previously created debt.
E. Grant recipients are required to maintain
				an audit trail verifying that all funds received under this program were used
				to fulfill the criteria for funding.
F. Payment shall be made to the Local
				Governmental Agency which is the project sponsor upon production of invoices
				and approval of the LGA's request for payment by ORD, according to the agreed
				terms of a signed and executed letter of commitment.
G. Project funds shall be spent only for the
				project as described in the grant application designated by the same number as
				the project award. Changes in the project description and extension of the
				agreed time for completion must be made in writing, subject to the approval of
				ORD.
H. Use of grant funds for any
				project other than that described in the grant application or amended
				application, or in violation of any terms of the application or letter of
				commitment/agreement, will be grounds for ORD to terminate the agreement and
				revoke the funds for the project.
I. All invoices related to the project are
				the responsibility of the LGA project sponsor, and must be submitted to and
				approved by ORD before the funds will be released to the LGA, which remains
				responsible for payment to its vendors in the project.
J. The LGA as project sponsor will agree to
				hold harmless the State of Louisiana, Office of the Governor, and Office of
				Rural Development as a term and condition of the letter of
				commitment/agreement.
K. ORD will
				de-obligate funds from any unexpended amount, whether by failure to start a
				project in the agreed upon time frame in the letter of commitment or by
				unexpended funds in an officially closed project, and from revoked grant
				awards.
L. Failure of the LGA
				project sponsor to abide by any article of the local agency assurances section
				of the grant application or of the letter of commitment/agreement, including
				state audit procedures, federal and state laws, state ethical rules and policy
				guidelines of the ORD, shall result in revocation of the grant award and the
				responsibility of the LGA project sponsor to repay project funds released to it
				by ORD up to the full amount of the grant award.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
				  Promulgated in accordance with
				  R.S.
				  3:311 et
				  seq.