Eustis commission debates whether to hire an experienced grant writer or outsource; CRA coordinator post proposed funded by CRA

A significant portion of the June 21 workshop focused on how the city should expand capacity to pursue grants and implement downtown redevelopment. Commissioners and staff discussed two parallel ideas: reworking the advertised in‑house grant writer position (salary, point‑factor classification) or outsourcing grant writing to third‑party firms; and creating a separate CRA (Community Redevelopment Area) coordinator paid by CRA funds to lead downtown implementation.

Economic development director Al told the commission the city budget includes $25,000 for membership and participation with a regional economic development partner and a separate CRA coordinator position that would be fully funded by CRA revenue. He said the CRA coordinator would be restricted to activities within the CRA geography if the position is paid from CRA funds.

Several commissioners and staff expressed skepticism that the advertised salary range for a grant writer (about $47,000) would attract the level of experience the city wants. Commissioners suggested alternatives: (a) re‑point‑factor the job to raise its pay range; (b) reallocate some CRA funding towards the grant writer (if positions are combined); or (c) hire an outside consultant or firm to pursue high‑value grants on a fee or contingency basis. Finance staff and human resources said the point‑factor system constrains pay ranges for new or reclassified positions but agreed to revisit the job description and point factor for the grant role.

Why it matters: commissioners framed the decision as a tradeoff between paying a higher salary (or outsourcing) to secure experienced grant writers who can leverage significant external funding and maintaining internal equity through the city’s point‑factoring system. Commissioners also supported having a CRA coordinator because the CRA master plan requires dedicated implementation staff; staff said the CRA would reimburse the general fund for the coordinator’s expense so it would not increase general‑fund cost.

Next steps Staff will revise the grant writer job description or point‑factor classification and return with options for internal hiring versus outsourcing and with an expected pay range. The commission asked staff to consider splitting duties — a grant writer focused on new revenue streams and a separate grant administrator for compliance — rather than expecting a single employee to do both.