The Brentwood City Council voted last night to adopt a resolution approving a local agricultural grant from the City’s Agricultural Enterprise Grant 2013/14 program as recommended by the Agricultural Enterprise Committee.
For the 2013/14 grant cycle, grant proposals were due February 22, 2013. Staff received one Application with a request totaling $21,760. Current funding available for the 201 3/14 grant cycle is $30,000. The $21,760 would be for Printing of Harvest Time Map and website overhaul.
Here is the analysis of the Application by Staff
Analysis of Current Agricultural Enterprise Grant Application Harvest Time is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to educating the general public about farming and its products while improving agri-tourism education in the Brentwood region of East Contra Costa County.
Harvest Time’s grant proposal includes two funding requests: (a) publication of their annual U-pick map, and (b) redesign of their website.
Both of these funding requests are consistent with the goals of the grant program and qualify for grant funding.
Harvest Time’s map has consistently been supported by the Committee and Council and received grant funding. Redesign of the Harvest Time website would fix several issues that have severely limited the website’s functionality, and it would also improve Harvest Time’s presence on the internet.
The Committee carefully considered both of these requests, and they voted to support the first request, i.e., to help fund publication of the map.
However, given the Committee’s concerns about extending the financial life of the grant program, the Committee opted to limit their recommended grant award to $13,760 for the map, and declined to recommend additional funding for the website at this time. At which time the Agricultural Enterprise Grant Program funds are fully exhausted, staff recommends that Harvest Time could then apply for the Economic Development Grant, which is available each year for local marketing and promotion.
According to the Staff Report, here is the background
On November 13, 2007 the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2007-256 approving the creation of the Agricultural Enterprise Grant Program. Since then, the City has made
annual grants through the program, in the following amounts:
- $30,604 (March 11, 2008 – Resolution No. 2008-63).
- $26,950 (February 24, 2009 – Resolution No. 2009-039).
- $10,000 (April 14, 2009 – Resolution No. 2009-72).
- $25,706 (March 9, 2010 – Resolution No. 2010-28).
- $11,987 (April 26, 2011 – Resolution No. 2011-44).
- $23,105 (March 27, 2012 – Resolution No. 2012-36).
On December 13, 2011, the City Council approved an overall strategy for allocating the remaining funding for the Agricultural Enterprise Program. As part of this strategy, the Council set the funding for the Agricultural Grant Program at up to $30,000 per year for three years (2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 fiscal years).
Source:
http://www.ci.brentwood.ca.us/citycouncil/ePacket/ccap2013/ccep20130326.pdf
For more information about Harvest Time in Brentwood, visit their website
5 comments
What a waste of our tax money! If a group wants a better website an app, let them fund it on their own.
Great investment for the farming industry Brentwood, good job!
This is good news for Brentwood and all of East County. Now if we can just get the out of towners to drive safely and obey traffic laws (no illegal u turns in the middle of our roads)…….
As Burk typically says, Kudos to Brentwood City Council on this decision. Suprised no one else picked up on the benefit.
Hey Burke, why are you not picking on Stonebarger who should never hvae voted on this since he benefits from funds helping his family sell more from their farm? Come on Mr. Journalist, call it down the middle! The Contra Costa Times even referred to Erick Stonebarger as Councilman and farmer.
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