Okla. Admin. Code § 785:50-17-8

Current through Vol. 42, No. 6, December 2, 2024

Section 785:50-17-8 - Disbursement of funds

(a)Action following Board approval and prior to disbursement of funding.

(1)Notification of approval. Upon approval of an OKDR grant application, the Board shall furnish to the applicant a written notice of grant approval. The notice shall advise the applicant that the grant application has been formally and officially approved by the Board and that the grant funds approved shall be made available to the applicant by the Board for such purposes and upon such other terms and conditions as the Board may require.

(2)Bid filing. The applicant shall file with the Board an acceptable bid for completion of the proposed project.

(3)Additional conditions prior to disbursement of grant funds.

(A) Applicant shall establish and maintain, in such manner as is acceptable to the Board or its staff, a federally insured account through which the grant proceeds shall be administered and separately accounted for by the applicant. Once the Board or its staff has deemed the proposed activities listed in the invoice are eligible for OKDR Grant funding, are within the approved scope of work, and meet all legal requirements, the Board shall deposit the grant funds into the (appropriate account). The applicant shall then expend funds from the account only as permitted in the grant agreement, Board rules, and state guidelines

(B) Unless otherwise provided and approved by the Board, applicant shall submit to the Board all plans, specifications, and engineering reports, for the project for staff approval, all of which shall be complete and in sufficient detail as would be required for submission of the project to a contractor for bidding or contracting the project.

(C) If not previously provided, applicant shall provide Board with a written and verified statement setting forth:

(i) the amount of funds necessary for release and disbursement at closing which funds are needed for initial commencement of the project, and

(ii) information reflecting the reasonable availability of and/or a commitment from all other revenue or funding sources needed to finance and complete the project.

(D) Applicant and Board, and all other necessary parties, shall have executed all necessary and incidental instruments and documents, including but not limited to a grant agreement.

(4)Board action on request for increase in approved amount. If prior to disbursement of the grant monies to the applicant, the project bids exceed the engineer's estimates or it otherwise develops that the OKDR grant amount approved by the Board, when combined with any other sources of funding, will be insufficient to complete the approved project, then the applicant may file a written request:

(A) to amend the scope of the approved project in a manner consistent with (a)(5) of this Section; or

(B) decline funding and withdraw its application for the current fiscal year and request that the Board reconsider the application with an increased OKDR grant amount during the following fiscal year. The request for an increased OKDR grant amount shall be treated as a new application on its own merits; provided, the original application shall not be counted for purposes of the previous grant assistance portion of the priority point determination.

(5)Board action on request for change in scope of approved project. If prior to disbursement of the grant monies to the applicant, it develops that the applicant wishes to change the scope of the project from that approved by the Board, then the applicant may file a written request for approval of such a change. If the Board staff determines that the change is reasonably and in all material aspects within the scope of the project description approved by the Board, then the staff shall be authorized to approve such requested change. If the Board staff determines that the change is not in all material respects within the scope of the project description approved by the Board, then such a request shall be presented to the Board for action. Provided, however, the Board shall not approve a change in scope of project if the change, if considered as part of the original application, would have resulted in a lower priority point determination on the application.

(b)Disbursement of funding to applicant; action following disbursement.

(1)Disbursement contingent on completion of conditions; reduction from approved amount. At the time and upon compliance by the applicant with the applicable requirements in (a) of this Section, the Board may disburse the approved amount of OKDR grant funds to the applicant for the approved project.

(2)Disbursement in whole or part; timing. As the Board may direct, grant funds may be disbursed to the applicant in installments or in lump sum, and may be disbursed prior to, during or upon completion of the project, all as deemed appropriate by the Board under the project circumstances presented.

(3)Post-disbursement requests for increases in funding amount. If after disbursement of the grant monies to the applicant it develops that the applicant needs more money for the project than the OKDR grant amount disbursed by the Board, then any request for additional OKDR grant money shall follow the rules in this Subchapter governing, and shall be treated as, a new application on its own merits.

(4)Post-disbursement requests for changes in scope of approved project. If it develops that the applicant wishes to change the scope of the project from that approved by the Board, then the applicant may file a written request for approval of such a change to use undisbursed funds. If the Board staff determines that the change is reasonably and in all material aspects within the scope of the project description approved by the Board, then the staff shall be authorized to approve such requested change. If the Board staff determines that the change is not in all material respects within the scope of the project description approved by the Board, then such a request shall be presented to the Board for action. If the request is denied the applicant shall either proceed with the project as approved or abandon the project and deobligate the grant monies in accordance with the grant agreement.

(5)Post-disbursement action regarding unexpended funding. If following completion of the project it develops that the applicant needed less money for the project than disbursed by the Board, the applicant shall return or de-obligate the unexpended amount to the Board.

(6)Additional requirements. The Board may impose additional reasonable and necessary conditions or requirements for the disbursement to the applicant or expenditure by the applicant of OKDR grant funds, all as may be deemed appropriate by the Board.

Okla. Admin. Code § 785:50-17-8

Adopted by 40 Ok Reg 84, eff. 9/14/2022 (emergency)

Adopted by 40 Ok Reg 1455, eff. 8/11/2023

Adopted by Oklahoma Register, Volume 41, Issue 4, November 1, 2023, eff. 9/21/2023, exp. 9/14/2024 (Emergency)

Adopted by Oklahoma Register, Volume 41, Issue 22, August 1, 2024, eff. 8/11/2024