Agency: Governor's Office

Line Item: LeRay McAllister Program

Function

The Legislature established the LeRay McAllister Program line item to provide matching funds for open space preservation.

Background

A typical funding cycle for the LeRay McAllister program follows (These dates are approximate and only vary slightly. Sometimes the commission will put off final decisions until its October meeting if additional information or more time to consider the projects is needed):

April 1: Pre-applications are requested. The purpose of the pre- application is to ensure that the applicants are submitting grant requests for proposals that meet the requirements of the Quality Growth Act.

May 15: Pre-Applications are received and reviewed.

June 1: Qualifying pre-applicants are invited to submit a full application.

July 15: Full applications are due. Quality Growth Commissioners begin to visit the sites, and applicants begin submitting additional supporting documents such as appraisals, surveys or legal descriptions, draft conservation easements, environmental clearance, etc. The commission usually takes about 7-8 weeks to complete the visits, and receive the documents.

September (the last Thursday of): The Commission meets to review the projects and determine which will be funded and at what level. Applicants are invited to attend the meeting to answer questions of Commissioners. Final appropriation of funds is the product of this meeting.

Federal funds for these projects do not come to the state. Each federal program has its own application process, and applicants for these funds must apply to these programs using their process. If the Federal Government decides to fund a project, the funds they allocate are sent directly to the title company and are paid out when the project or easement purchase is closed.

Statutory Authority

UCA 11-38-301 establishes the LeRay McAllister program under the administration of the Quality Growth Commission and also states that the line item will be nonlapsing.

UCA 11-38-302 outlines legal uses of fund balances. Funds may be granted to a local entity, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and Food, or a charitable 501(c)3 organization. In most cases, funds may not be used to purchase a fee interest in real property, but rather to purchase a conservation easement.

UCA 63J-1-602 provides nonlapsing status to LeRay McAllister Program appropriations (See also UCA 63J-1-602.1).

Intent Language

Under section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code, the Legislature intends that appropriations provided for the Governor's Office Quality Growth Commission LeRay McAllister in Item 7 Chapter 11 Laws of Utah 2012 not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2013.

Performance

The following table shows the most recent key inputs and outputs of the program. The funding cycle begins in April and ends in September or October, crossing fiscal years. As a result, the table is organized by calendar year. The leverage is arrived at by taking the total matching funds and dividing by total "McAllister Funds" for each year. Since 1999 the Quality Growth Commission has granted $20.4 million in state funds. Partners in open space preservation have contributed $9.35 for every dollar of state funds. Approximately 80,171 acres have been preserved. The outcome should enhance quality of life through open space preservation.

Funding Detail

Prior to FY 2010, this entity's funding was in a special revenue fund rather than a budget line item. Revenue was appropriated to the special revenue fund from the General Fund. After the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) stated that special revenue funds must receive most of their funding from non-General Fund sources, the Legislature made this a budget line item in H.B. 391, "Budgetary Procedures Act Revisions," 2009 General Session. Resources reflected as fund balances prior to FY 2010 show as nonlapsing balances beginning in FY 2010 causing statewide beginning nonlapsing balances to increase in FY 2010. The Legislature removed all General Fund appropriations in FY 2012.