Commissioners eye .09 awards regardless of Olympia crunch

Even though the program may be discontinued by the state, Whitman County is looking at awarding .09 economic development grants to local jurisdictions this year.

With almost $800,000 in undedicated .09 funds, commissioners discussed in a workshop session Monday the possibility of assigning $100,000 for local projects this year.

“Given where we’re at with it, I think we may have room to give out $100,000,” said Commissioner Greg Partch.

Each year, the county receives a .09 percent share of the state’s portion of sales tax revenues to use on projects that will bolster the local economy.

Legislators have told county officials that program could disappear this year as Olympia lawmakers try to deal with the state’s mounting budget deficit. However, commissioners Monday discussed assigning $100,000 for this year to local projects regardless of the outcome in Olympia. The $100,000, if necessary, would come out of the county’s reserve of .09 funds.

Commissioner Pat O’Neill said he would like to see a round of 2011 awards. He said he received calls from a group of Garfield citizens who were planning to apply for .09 dollars for a day care center.

“That’s something that could end up employing two, three, four people,” said O’Neill. “If we can help get that going, I think it’s definitely worth it.”

The county receives around $400,000 each year for local development projects.

Since .09 funding began coming from the state in 2000, the county has made a portion of those funds available to local communities for development projects. The last several years, commissioners have given the Blue Ribbon Advisory Task Committee $100,000 to rank and award those projects.

The committee hears project applications and recommends awards to commissioners, who make the final award decision.

Lamont and Oakesdale last year were awarded a total of $79,604.12 to build a library building and a business incubator, respectively.

The county has just short of $1.5 million in saved .09 dollars. About $704,000 of that total is spoken for with $114,000 being held to reimburse previously awarded projects, and $590,000 pledged to guarantee a $2.7 million bond issued in 2002 to make improvements to the courthouse. Final payment on the courthouse bonds is due in 2015.

The county has built up the .09 fund over the past several years. Commissioners have been considering using that money, and future proceeds, to guarantee bonds to fund infrastructure development at the stateline strip mall that has been long proposed by Hawkins Companies of Boise. The county has agreed in principle to issue $9.1 million in bonds for the project, though Partch noted nothing has been finalized.