Pass-Through Grants Journal
Fall, 2018
Annual Reimbursement Manual Training
The Grants Unit will be holding our annual reimbursement manual training on Wednesday, October 10 and 10:00-11:30 am CST. If you would like to attend, and haven't gotten your email invite yet, please contact your grants specialist. They can send you the link for the Skype meeting. If you are a new grantee, this is a great resource to learn about the reimbursement process, as well as a refresher for those who are seasoned grantees!
Prevailing Wage
Guidance regarding Prevailing Wage:
As many you know, prevailing wage is the minimum hourly wage
employers must pay certain workers who work on construction projects where
state dollars are used to fund the construction. This wage is determined on a
county by county basis by The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI.)
They set the prevailing-wage rates to be comparable to wages paid for similar
work in the county where the construction project is located.
DLI has recently provided guidance about what types of projects
need to follow prevailing wage rules and regulations, including many types of
restoration projects. The prevailing wage determination rests on what type of
work is being done and what kind of equipment/tools is being used to do the
work.
For new contracts, we are requiring grantees whose projects involve construction or
include land or water restoration, to find
out if their project is subject to prevailing wage by submitting a Prevailing
Wage Project Assessment form to DLI prior to bidding the work. This form can be
found on the DLI website (https://www.dli.mn.gov/business/employment-practices/prevailing-wage-information). If
DLI determines that prevailing wage is to be used on the project, grantees must
provide this information in the bid documents and check they were used in a
submitted bid. In addition, grantees are required to collect timesheets from
contractors using DLI’s certified payroll form documenting that prevailing wage
was used.
For more information on prevailing wage please contact the
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
at dli.prevwage@state.mn.us or 651-284-5091.
Welcome Monica Weber
The Grants Unit has recently added a new member to our team.
Monica Weber is a grants specialist and joins Jason, Karen, and Mandy. Some of
the projects have been reassigned to include Monica. If you are unsure who your
grants specialist is, please contact Katherine Sherman-Hoehn.
DNR Holiday Schedule
Our offices will be closed on the following dates:
November 12 – in observance of Veteran’s Day
November 22-23 – Thanksgiving Day and the day after (Thursday and Friday)
December 25 – Christmas Day (Tuesday)
January 1 – New Year’s Day (Tuesday)
Friendly Reminders
End of Year Acquisitions
If your organization is planning to purchase land or an easement at the very end of the calendar year, please notify your grants specialist well in advance of the closing date. We strongly encourage you to send your grants specialist the appraisal and all supporting documentation as early as possible so we can accommodate your needs. With the holiday's quickly approaching, we want to make sure we have enough coverage, so any extra time you can give our staff, the better! This includes the Commissioner Approval Letter for land and easements being purchased with Trust Fund dollars; due to busy schedules, please plan to submit the Commissioner Approval Letter 30 days in advance of your scheduled closing to ensure all departments can review and recommend before it goes to the Commissioner for approval. If you are purchasing land using OHF dollars, please remember to notify the county board 30 days in advance of your closing date.
Grant Agreements
ML 2018 Grant Agreements were emailed out in August. If you have already signed and sent yours back, thank you. If you have not yet sent it back in, please sign and sent it back to your grants specialist please.
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