 OFM has updated the mileage rate reimbursement effective January 1, 2023. The new rate is $0.655 per mile. Please update all travel forms and vouchers prior to submitting the January voucher.
With the start of a new year, comes new composite rates! Please remember we require updated composite rates for every employee being vouchered for effective January 1, 2023. The majority of rates will have small changes, depending on the new Labor and Industries and Unemployment rates for the district that should have been mailed out by the agencies in December. Before SCC can pay your January vouchers, these new rates must be submitted via the online Formstack submittal system.
If you need to make a change to a previously submitted composite rate, please send an email to sccgrants@scc.wa.gov explaining the corrected rate.
Please do not use the contract composite rate form as it is specifically for contracts and not grant programs.
You can find the form here.
With more in person meetings happening, we wanted to give a refresher of what qualifies as light refreshments and what is required when requesting reimbursement from SCC.
Light Refreshments include coffee and/or any non-alcoholic beverages (e.g. tea, soft drinks, juice or milk) and between meal snacks (e.g. doughnuts, sweet rolls, nuts, or fruit and cheese) at meetings, conferences, or project tours. Reimbursements for light refreshments must include a receipt for goods, a list of attendees, pre authorization form, and a copy of the meeting/event agenda. Without this documentation, reimbursement will not be provided. In order to meet the requirements for light refreshments, documentation must show how they are an integral part of the meeting. The district must have a policy in place to allow light refreshments. Pizza, sandwiches, etc., are not considered light refreshments. For complete information regarding light refreshments please visits the SAAM Manual.
We are over half way through fiscal year 23 already! We wanted to put a reminder out regarding which grants will be required to fill out final reports.
Are you interested in contributing soils data to the WaSHI State of the Soils Assessment? Are you a grower, an agricultural professional, a graduate student, or a conservation district staff member who wants to soil sample?
Beginning in March of 2023, WSDA will pay for a laboratory soil health analysis for eligible projects, in exchange for support in collecting samples and grower management surveys. WSDA will also provide training and individualized soil health reports for participating growers. Data will contribute to a variety of WaSHI projects which will measure soil health across different regions and crops in Washington.
Submit completed application form to WaSHI@agr.wa.gov by February 10 at 5:00 PM. Link to Request for Applications: https://agr.wa.gov/departments/land-and-water/natural-resources/soil-health/get-involved-en
SAO has finished updating the GAAP and Cash Basis BARS Manuals and they are available online now. The “Overview of Changes” section describes all the changes, with links to the appropriate sections of the manuals. The “Alerts and Changes” tab can help you determine which revisions might affect your 2022 annual reporting
The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) announces a limited grant opportunity for funding to support food system activities at conservation districts. Up to $5,000 will be available to each successful grant applicant. Funding must be used for activities that will result in products in hand or activities completed by June 30, 2023.
Link for application: https://www.formstack.com/forms/?5080113-uL11erJFBp
The deadline for application submittals is Wednesday, January 18, 2023, by 5:00 p.m.
Funding for this grant is made available pursuant to the legislative budget appropriation to SCC for Food Policy Forum activities. SCC has $50,000 in funding for this opportunity. Grants to conservation districts will be made available subject to the requirements described in this announcement. The funding shall be utilized for eligible food system support-related activities. Eligible activities are derived from the most recent 2021 Food Policy Forum Recommendations to Legislature as well as activities identified by conservation districts in the previous food system grant opportunity last year. A closing activity report will be required for all successful grants.
For further information, please contact:
Ron Shultz, WSCC Policy Director | (360) 790-5994 | rshultz@scc.wa.gov
Karla Heinitz, Policy Assistant | (360) 878-4666 | kheinitz@scc.wa.gov
Courtney Woods, Grants Manager | (360) 407-6114 | cwoods@scc.wa.gov
Sarah Wilcox, Communications Project Manager | (564) 669-1043 | swilcox@scc.wa.gov
Eligible Areas of Activities:
Planning/Coordination
- Data collection and analysis related to local food systems such as food system mapping in underrepresented communities or low-income neighborhoods.
- Planning and feasibility studies for future food system work.
- Identification of ways to improve coordination and communication of local food policy entities and communication between the local food policy entities and state agencies. (from Food Policy Forum Progress Report Feb 2019)
- Planning and coordination that support market cultivation by increasing resources to connect growers to markets as well as products with available infrastructure.
Market Access
- Activities to connect farmers to markets, local and regional.
- Create new or enhance existing e-commerce platforms and support agricultural enterprises to participate and develop the ability to take orders or sell products online.
- Develop and implement consumer education, marketing, and promotion campaign to help consumers engage with new e-commerce tools.
- Support and expand existing countywide directory of farms selling for local purchasing, helping consumers find farm products. May include mapping.
Food Security
- Activities to connect farmers to food banks, food pantries, or other outlets intended to alleviate hunger in the community.
Outreach/Education
- Presentations, education, and outreach of farm-to-market materials.
- Translation of outreach materials.
- Programs to partner with WSU Extension on educational programs and materials on safe food preservation and cooking techniques in food deserts.
- Activities that target historically underserved minority communities or land users with assistance in any of the listed activities.
Infrastructure
- Proposals that support food system infrastructure, such as mobile food processing, refrigeration, community garden beds, food waste solutions, etc.
Required Elements of Grant Application:
Name of Applicant Email of Applicant Name of Conservation District Identify the activities to be addressed by this proposal. Describe in detail the activities undertaken in the proposal. How will your proposal address issues of inequity in the food system in your district or support historically underrepresented communities? How does your proposal partner with other local entities? If more than $5,000 per district were available, would you request additional funding, and if so, how would the additional funding be spent? Describe how the activity will be completed by the June 30, 2023 deadline.
Criteria for Grant Application Evaluation:
- Does the proposal directly support one or more of the eligible areas of activity? [30 points]
- Does the proposal advance equity or target underrepresented members of the community? [30 points]
- What is the extent to which the proposal partners with other local entities? [20 points]
- Ability to spend, and have all deliverables completed or in hand, by June 30, 2023. [20 points]
Total available points: 100
Timeline:
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December 12, 2022
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Grant notice released
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January 18, 2023, by 5:00 p.m.
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Applications due to SCC in the Food System Support Grant Application Formstack form
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February 3, 2023
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Announcement of grant awards
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June 30, 2023
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Funds must be spent and work products in hand
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July 10, 2023
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Final voucher and final activity report due
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Definitions:
Activity Report: The final report to SCC describing the work performed under the grant. If possible the report should include photos of activities and data indicating the numbers of individuals served or reached by the activity or similar appropriate metrics. (Photos may be used by SCC.)
Equity: The act of developing, strengthening, and supporting procedural and outcome fairness in systems, procedures, and resource distribution mechanisms to create equitable (not equal) opportunity for all people. Equity is distinct from equality, which refers to everyone having the same treatment without accounting for differing needs or circumstances. Equity has a focus on eliminating barriers that have prevented the full participation of historically and currently oppressed groups. (Enterprise DEI Foundational Definitions, Version 1, Office of Financial Management)
Food Desert: An area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, in contrast with an area with higher access to supermarkets or fresh foods.
Underrepresented Communities: A group of people whose members have not been, or are not currently, represented in farming, or may lack access to affordable, nutritious food. These groups may include Blacks or African Americans, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, Latin Americans and Hispanics, Asians, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and low-income or economically disadvantaged individuals.
This year’s deadline for annual CD financial reporting to the SAO is Tuesday, May 30th, 2023. Trainings and webinars for help with annual report filing will be found here soon: https://sao.wa.gov/bars-annual-filing/filing-training-and-workshops/#online-filing-workshops
Paid Family & Medical Leave Premiums will increase in 2023 - The Employment Security Department announced that a 0.2 percent solvency surcharge will be added to the 2023 Paid Family & Medical Leave premiums. The solvency surcharge, coupled with the new premium rate calculated on Sept 30 will result in a total premium rate of 0.8 percent starting Jan 1, 2023. Read article.
Setting the tone at the top: SAO's new fraud-prevention resource for elected officials and members of appointed boards - While preventing fraud is an organization-wide effort in your conservation district, creating a fraud prevention culture starts at the top with elected officials. That's why SAO's Special Investigation's Team has developed a guide for these leaders to help them better understand their role in fighting employee fraud in their governments. The guide offers tips and best practices for preventing, detecting, and responding to fraud. Read article.
The state minimum wage will increase to $15.74 per hour on January 1, 2023.
L&I proposed a 4.8% increase in the average price of workers' compensation insurance in 2023. This increase translates to an additional $61 per year on average that employers and workers would jointly pay. See the L&I Proposed Rates page for more information.
Q: Where can I find the recorded cost share and CPDS training webinar?
A: The recording of the cost share and CPDS training webinar can be found on SCC's website under Webinars. It can also be accessed here.
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