Saying the new position would pay for itself, municipal officials on Tuesday approved a job for a grant writer for the town. Connecticut municipalities such as Stamford, Stratford, Bristol, Norwalk, Westport, Berlin and Fairfield already have grant writers on staff, according to New Canaan Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering Jones.
“We had received information for different towns that are receiving state grants and we have many communities that are getting grants that we are not receiving,” Pickering Jones told the Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting, held atTown Hall and via videoconference.
“We do not have the staff on board to apply for a lot of these grants, whether it be public works, first responders, health and human services, and I think the town would do well to have a full-time grant writer.”
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted in favor of creating the new position.
Pickering Jones said the town has drafted a job description.
Williams said, “This position should pay for itself and then some if we are doing this right.”
Moynihan said some towns have more than one grant writer.
Corbet noted that the town recently received notification that other towns had received a Small Town Economic Assistance Program or “STEAP” grant from the state, though New Canaan did not. “I wonder if we would maybe consider starting with a part-time position rather than a full-time position, and then possibly going to two part-time positions,” Corbet said. “I think that enables you to sort of start up the grant writing process and then once it’s underway you can have two people working and it also saves benefits. Just something to consider.”
This exchange followed:
Moynihan: I think we can always back off if we don’t see candidates for full-time that are desirable.
