ICMA (International City/County Management Association)

June 2004 - The Task Force on State and Local Homeland Security Funding reports that while cities and counties in some states have received funds in a timely way, others have experienced problems. The task force concluded that all levels of government can make changes to improve the process.

"We can consider expediting state and local purchasing processes to speed up the process," noted ICMA Past President Peggy Merriss, ICMA's representative on the task force. The task force found that state and local buying regulations and procedures were one reason that funds moved slowly. Another challenge for many local governments is that the grant process is complex and they lack the staff resources to deal with the increased workload. The reimbursement requirement is a significant problem for cash-strapped municipalities.

The task force issued a number of recommendations, including:

Expand the use of grant funds to allow state and local governments to address short
    term security issues attributed to terrorist threats, such as overtime and threat specific
   security operations.

Support an exemption from the Cash Management Act of 1990 for FY05 Office for
    Domestic Preparedness Homeland Security grants.

Establish multi-state cooperative purchasing consortiums and expand the use of state
    and federal contracts.

Establish national standards for grant management including standardized terminology
    and real-time tracking capabilities.

The task force surveyed 11 states this spring to identify problems as well as potential solutions to facilitate the funding and reimbursement process.