Bloomington is moving to seek grant money from the National Association of County and City Health Officials, better known as NACCHO. Item 3.8 on the City Council's Oct. 12 agenda is a resolution that would authorize the city to apply for the grant, sign the grant agreement if it's awarded and make the related budget adjustments.
The item is on the consent agenda, where the council groups routine business. Consent items usually pass together in a single vote unless a council member pulls one out for separate discussion. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Civic Plaza, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road.
The published agenda gives only the item's title. It doesn't list a dollar amount, what the grant would fund or which department is applying. Those details are usually in the full council packet, and we'll add them once they're available.
Health grants usually go to the city's health department. Bloomington runs its own, Bloomington Public Health, which serves Edina and Richfield as well as Bloomington. It handles immunizations, health screenings, prenatal and postpartum support, WIC nutrition programs and services for older adults, and it runs a mobile health hub that travels around all 3 cities.
The NACCHO resolution is one of several grant items on Monday's consent agenda. The others would let the city apply for 3 National Recreation and Park Association grants: one to increase access to sports for girls and women, a National Girls and Women in Sports Day microgrant and a youth sports lighting grant. A fourth item would let the city seek money from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime.
Next step: the council votes Monday. If it approves the resolution, the city can submit the application. Whether NACCHO funds it, and for how much, is up to the association, and we'll update this story when there's news.
