Community enhancement grants.

WORKING DRAFT
2005
STATE OF WYOMING
05LSO-0221

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0105

Community enhancement grants.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Harvey

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to community enhancement grants; authorizing the Wyoming business council to award grants to communities to build, upgrade or repair community buildings that enhance the history, cultural or social needs of the community; requiring a match; granting rulemaking authority; authorizing grantees to contract with private organizations as specified; providing definitions; providing an appropriation and a continuous appropriation of funds; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.
W.S. 9
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12
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801 and 9
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12
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802 are created to read:

ARTICLE 8
COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

9
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12
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801.

Community enhancement program; purpose; creation; rulemaking.

(a)

It is the purpose of this article to promote economic revitalization at the city and town level in order to create additional economic health and a stronger state economy.

(b)

The Wyoming business council shall establish and administer a Wyoming community enhancement program as provided by this article. Any city or town may submit an application to the council for a grant under the program on forms prescribed by and subject to rules promulgated by the council. Grants may be made by the council for community enhancement infrastructure projects, including the building, upgrading, repair of community buildings that enhance the history, culture or social needs of the community as determined by the council to be consistent with the purposes of this article.

(c)

Grants shall be awarded on the basis of one dollar ($1.00) from the council for each one dollar ($1.00) of matching funds from the grantee, up to a maximum grant from the council of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00).

(d)

Grants shall be made under this article only if the applicant demonstrates that, upon receipt of the grant, all projected project costs will be funded. The application shall identify the source of all funds to be used for the project.

(e)

Grants may be used to fund project costs in accordance with approved applications and rules of the council. The grantee city or town may use grant funds to contract with private, not-for-profit organizations and community development organizations and state development organizations in accordance with the purposes of this article and approved applications.

(f)

As used in this article:

(i)

"Community development organization" means as defined by W.S. 9
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12
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301(a)(ii);

(ii)

"State development organization" means as defined by W.S. 9
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301(a)(iv).

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802.

Wyoming community enhancement program account.

There is created the community enhancement account. Funds shall be credited to the account as provided by law. Funds in the account are continuously appropriated to the Wyoming business council to be used only for grants authorized to be made under this article and for council expenses in administering the community enhancement program created by this article.

Section 2.
There is appropriated from the budget reserve account to the account created by this act two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) to be used to implement the purposes of this act. Any unexpended or unobligated funds remaining in the account at the end of the biennium ending June 30, 2006 shall not lapse and shall not revert as provided in W.S. 9
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207.

Section 3.
This act is effective July 1, 2005.

(END)

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HB0105