Agenda

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Regular Agenda Item 3. A.

Regular BOS Meeting

Meeting Date:	04/19/2022
Submitted For:	Roy Sandoval	Submitted By:	Cindy Fisher-Smith, Executive Assistant
Department:	School Superintendent's Office

Information

Request/Subject

Distribution of FY 2021-2022 Secure Rural Schools and Communities Funds (Forest Fees) – applying distribution of funds as in years past using the same percentage splits for Roads (2.15%), Schools (77.93%), and Gila County Education Service Agency (19.92%). At this time, the amount to be received is unknown.

Background Information

The Secure Rural Schools Act (SRS Act) was reauthorized by section 524 of P.L. 114-10 and signed into law by the President on April 16, 2015. Section 524 would retain the annual decrease in the full funding amount currently provided in section 3(11)(C) of the SRS Act, which provides that for FY 2012 and each fiscal year thereafter, the funding amount shall be 95% of the full funding amount for the preceding fiscal year. Secure Rural Schools and Communities funding is intended to provide assistance to rural counties negatively affected by unrealized revenues from publicly held lands. Funds generated by Title I of the SRS Acts have been used for schools and roads - to create employment opportunities, maintain current infrastructure, and improve the health of watersheds and ecosystems. Twenty percent of Gila County's total allocation goes to a regional Resource Advisory Committee for distribution. The remaining 80% of the Title I funding is allocated to the Board of Supervisors for distribution and use by Roads and School Districts.

Evaluation

In past years, the Board of Supervisors has authorized the distribution of Title I SRS Act funds for Gila County Roads and Schools, upon recommendation of the Gila County Superintendent of Schools and County Management: a stipulated amount to Roads, and the remainder to School Districts by a formula that provides a base amount for all districts and additional amounts based on forest acreage and student enrollment of each district.

Conclusion

Gila County School Districts, County Management, and the County School Superintendent are in agreement in the proposed recommendation to the Gila County Board of Supervisors for the distribution of the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Funds (Forest Fees) for Federal Year 2022 funds to be received as part of the Secure Rural Schools Act for the FY 2021-2022 school year, using the same percentage splits for Roads (2.15%), Schools (77.93%), and Gila County Education Service Agency (19.92%). At this time, the amount to be received is unknown.

Recommendation

The County School Superintendent and County Management recommend that the Board of Supervisors authorize the distribution of Secure Rural Schools and Communities Funds (Forest Fees); Federal Year 2021 funds to be received as part of the Secure Rural Schools Act for the FY 2020-2021 school year (as authorized through section 524 of P.L. 114-10), distributed to Roads (2.15%), Schools (77.93%), and Gila County Education Service Agency (19.92%). At this time, the amount to be received is unknown.

Suggested Motion

Information/Discussion/Action to approve the distribution of Secure Rural Schools and Communities Funds (Forest Fees) of Gila County's share of the Federal Year 2021 Secure Rural Schools Act funds as authorized through section 24 of P.L. 114-10 for FY 2020-2021 using the same percentage splits as last year: Roads (2.15%), Schools (77.93%), and Gila County Education Service Agency (19.92%). (Roy Sandoval/Nick Montague)

Attachments
Forest Fee Percentage FY 2022