Grant strategy aims to keep Chelan taxes down

CHELAN — The City of Chelan has received $14.1 million in grant funding after spending approximately $190,000 on grant consulting services since 2023, a return city officials calculated at 74-to-1.

The figures were presented to the Chelan City Council Aug. 25 as it considered additional work with Noble Strategies LLC, doing business as Tower Consulting.

City Administrator Laura McAloon said Tower Consulting handles much of the city’s grant writing and guides staff through the application process. She emphasized that Chelan seeks grants for projects already included in its adopted capital improvement program rather than developing projects simply because grant money is available.

“We are not chasing grants in order to build projects or create projects,” McAloon said. “We are utilizing that to go out and seek potential funding opportunities that will reduce the local cost, thereby keeping taxes down as much as possible.”

Tower Consulting’s existing grant-writing contract for 2026 was capped at $60,000, an amount the city has already reached. Council members approved an additional $20,000 for grant-writing services through the remainder of the year.

McAloon said she requested a return-on-investment analysis before bringing the additional expenditure to the council.

“We have invested since 2023 $190,000 in grant consulting services,” McAloon said. “In exchange for that investment, we have received $14.1 million in grant funding. That is a 74-to-1 return on investment.”

“I personally think that is a very good investment that the city has made,” she added.

The council also approved up to $34,800 for Tower Consulting to temporarily assist with administration of existing Public Works grants.

McAloon said securing the grants has created an administrative workload involving required reports and reimbursement requests. That work has become more difficult while the department is without a construction project manager and the city engineer is on family leave.

The additional administrative assistance is intended to last through the end of the calendar year. McAloon said the city plans to identify capacity within its existing staff to handle the duties beginning in 2027.

Together, the two additions authorize up to $54,800 in additional Tower Consulting services beyond the existing $60,000 annual contract.

Council members unanimously approved the additional services.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media