8 Days To Go...

The topic of the night is grants.

Here’s Ten Million Reasons to keep the momentum going (Ripped directly from the headlines as they say- this will appear in a mailer this weekend).

In 2005, we made the decision to hire a full-time grants writer to bring Troy to a level where we could capitalize on the federal and state programs that other municipalities have for decades. In the past, Troy relied on a multitude of City staffers to apply for grants. Then we crossed our fingers. This didn't make much sense to me, so we brought in a gentleman named Bill Roehr, who more than pays for himself each year.

The move had paid off. Since the beginning of 2006, we have taken in more than $10 million for various economic development projects, police overtime, officers in our schools, expanded Weed and Seed areas, neighborhood improvements and a multitude of other ventures.

And that is only the beginning. The City has applied for an additional $10 million in grant money in 2007, and we hope to hear the results of our efforts soon. Obviously each dollar we bring in makes our job of moving past potential that much easier.

Nearly all of this money comes from your tax dollars- it belongs here. We have taken the step of not just hoping that some of those funds would find the way home, but made sure it would be a certainty each year.

It is a step that has finally allowed Troy to receive its share of funding for programs we care about, and we will never stop pursuing that resource.





Harry