Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 571 - Natural Resource Commission › Title III - Assistance Programs › Chapter 33 - Resource Enhancement and Protection Program: County, City, Private Open Spaces and Conservation Education Grant Programs › Rule 571-33.17 - Competitive Grants to Cities

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
Fifteen percent of available funds in the REAP fund (after
				  the $350,000 annual allocation to the conservation education board and 1
				  percent of revenues to the fund are allocated to the administration fund) shall
				  be allocated annually to the city park and open spaces grant account. That 15
				  percent shall be divided into three portions according to the percentage of the
				  state's urban population in each category, with each portion available on a
				  competitive basis to cities falling within one of the following three size
				  categories:
(1) cities of less than
				2,000;
(2) cities between 2,000 and
				25,000; and
(3) cities larger than
				25,000. Funds shall be initially apportioned to each category as per this rule.
				If at the time of project review and scoring there are funds available in any
				category that exceed the requests for grants in that category, those funds may,
				at the director's discretion, be transferred to another category where requests
				exceed the funds available.
(1)
Eligible sponsors.
Any incorporated city or town in the state
				may make application for a grant.
(2)
Grant ceilings.
Incorporated cities and towns are eligible to receive annual grants from the
				REAP fund in accordance with the following schedule:
Population
Maximum
0 - 1,000
$ 50,000
1,001 - 5,000
75,000
5,001 - 10,000
100,000
10,001 - 25,000
125,000
25,001 - 50,000
150,000
50,001 - 75,000
200,000
over 75,000
300,000
The grant ceiling may be waived upon approval by the director
				  if (1) the project is regional in nature or is projected to serve a minimum of
				  100,000 people; or (2) the project cannot be staged over a multiyear period so
				  that a separate grant application might be submitted each year.
(3)
Review and selection
				committee.
a. The director shall
				appoint a five-member review and selection committee to evaluate project
				applications. This committee shall include one member representing each of the
				three size classes of cities (e.g., one from a city of less than 2,000, one
				from a city of 2,000 to 25,000, and one from a city of more than 25,000). The
				director shall request a list of candidates from the Iowa league of cities and
				Iowa parks and recreation association. The remaining two members of the
				committee shall be a representative of the department and an at-large member.
				Additionally, there shall be at least two alternates designated by the director
				from the candidates list provided by the Iowa league of cities and the Iowa
				parks and recreation association. The committee shall elect its own chairperson
				from its members. Members shall serve three-year staggered terms.
b. Conflict of interest. An individual who is
				a member, volunteer, or employee of an entity that has submitted a project
				shall not serve on the scoring committee during that award cycle. Instead, one
				of the alternates shall review and score in the individual's place.