October 2023

and state funding today, or for those
considering applying in the near future,
it is essential that the grant
award guideline and the policies
and procedures are read
Local governments need to make
grant compliance a top priority when
they begin to apply for, receive, and
administer grant funding.
municipal governments to keep open
lines of communication with state regulators.
Ultimately, regulatory agencies
want local governments to be in a position
to succeed, but that starts with understanding
the policies and regulations
that elected officials and local governments
are responsible for upholding and
abiding with. At that point, municipal
officials make decisions that either keep
their governing body in compliance or
do not. When in doubt, ask for help!
If you aren’t in compliance, and you
get turned down for grant funding,
does that cause further issues or delays
even if you bring yourself back
into compliance? For example, if I get
refused due to an audit or other compliance
related issue, am I ineligible
for a certain amount of time, even if I
fix things on my end?
This is a difficult question because I imagine
this will vary by funding agency and
could even be approached on a case-bycase
basis. I think the biggest takeaway
here is that municipal officials need to
make sure their house is in order before
proceeding to apply for federal or state
grants. In all practicality, local governments
need to establish trust with grantmaking
agencies and trust is built over
time when local governments demonstrate
a high level of accountability
through proper financial administration
and comprehensive reporting.
How can LITACorp help with compliance
related issues?
At the local level, it is extremely important
for municipal officials to work
closely with legal counsel and department
heads (e.g., Public Works) to ensure
the government administration is
operating in full compliance with state
and federal laws.
For municipalities administering federal
in full and understood before
proceeding with grant implementation.
Municipalities should
understand what they are on the
hook for so they know how to proceed
in a way that is compliant with all relevant
laws and regulations.
LITACorp can assist local governments
with understanding grant guidelines
pre-award (i.e., during the application
phase) and post-award (i.e., during the
grant administration phase) so municipal
officials understand these compliance issues
before they apply and after they are
awarded. Ultimately, following these established
procedures will ensure you as a
local government are viewed as a strong/
high-capacity grantee to the grantmaking
agency. We hope this results in future
funding opportunities for compliant local
governments in the future!
So, let’s say I’m a local government.
I’m now in compliance, and all is well.
What’s next in terms of how LITACorp
can assist me in a different way now?
LITACorp can serve local governments
in a variety of ways. Our Technical Assistance
Team can assist with getting local
governments registered to apply for federal
grants, help prioritize projects based
on need and readiness, identify potential
funding opportunities, complete grant
applications, assist with grant administration
once awarded, and more.
Most importantly, LITACorp can assist local
governments with grant compliance
once they are awarded a federal grant.
We want to be good stewards of taxpayer
dollars and we certainly do not want
to find Louisiana local governments in a
position to have to return the grants they
rightfully receive. Local governments
need to make grant compliance a top
priority when they begin to apply for, receive,
and administer grant funding.
Why is it imperative that municipalities
look into making sure things are
in order now?
There are historic levels of federal funding
available today and for the next 4-5
years through recent appropriations activity.
Louisiana municipalities cannot
delay their due diligence on these compliance
matters because it could negatively
impact their chances of benefiting
from the wealth of grant funding available
through the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law, Inflation Reduction Act, annual
appropriations, and other supplemental
appropriations (e.g., in response to natural
disasters).
So, there you have it – compliancy is key
when it comes to securing grant funding
you can use to improve upon your
village, town, or city. Discussing any issues
you may come up against with your
administration, and working on ways to
combat those issues as a team, can save
you the heartache of finding out your application
has been declined. If an approval
is what you’re after, and I do believe it
is, then there’s no better time to get your
house in order than now.
Author’s note: Alex Holland is Senior Advisor
for LITACorp. She can be reached by
emailing alex@litacorp.org.
LMR | OCTOBER 2023 Page 17