Texas Administrative Code › Title 31 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION › Part 2 - TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT › Chapter 61 - DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION › Subchapter E - LOCAL PARKS AND RECREATION GRANT PROGRAM › Section 61.133 - General Provisions

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) It is the
				  policy of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission that the department award and
				  administer projects under this subchapter in accord with the provisions of this
				  subchapter, with the intent to provide the greatest number of high-quality
				  outdoor and indoor recreational opportunities for Texas, consistent with Parks
				  and Wildlife Code, Chapter 24, and the priorities and policies articulated in
				  the department's Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation Plan and
				  the Texas Outdoor Recreation Plan (required for federal funding), as
				  applicable.
(b) The department will
				  not accept or evaluate a project proposal that is not submitted to the
				  department via the department's on-line application process.
(c) The department will not score an
				  application that is not administratively complete. An administratively complete
				  application is an application that is in substantive compliance with the
				  requirements of this subchapter, as determined by the department.
(d) If an applicant is in compliance with the
				  conditions of existing or previous grant agreements with the department, the
				  application will be scored and considered for funding. If the applicant is not
				  in compliance with existing or previous grant agreements, the department may
				  request the applicant to submit an action plan for addressing deficiencies or
				  problematic issues. If the applicant is unable to provide, to the department's
				  satisfaction, evidence that the deficiencies or problematic issues in question
				  can or will be resolved, the department may choose not to score the application
				  or consider it further.
(e) The
				  department will evaluate prospective projects on a qualitative basis, awarding
				  points within the specified range (from 0 (no points) to the maximum allowable
				  for each criterion) according to the department's determination of how the
				  applicant's treatment of any given component places along a continuum from poor
				  to excellent. The department will not automatically award points for cursory,
				  mechanical attempts to address as many criteria as possible in order to accrue
				  points.
(f) Applications for grants
				  under this subchapter shall be scored according to the provisions of this
				  subchapter and shall be ranked in relation to the scores of other applications
				  under consideration.
(g) Projects
				  funded under this subchapter shall be pursued by the sponsor in accordance with
				  the timelines established by the department for each project, unless the
				  department determines that circumstances beyond the sponsor's control warrant
				  timeline extension. Failure to meet timelines or timeline extensions shall be
				  grounds for the department to initiate cancellation of the affected
				  project.
(h) Grant awards are
				  dependent on the availability of grant funds.