Funding to support water and wastewater projects can be confusing to navigate. It is generally provided by a variety of agencies in a state. Some states have made an effort to consolidate funding entities and partner agencies to provide a singular point of contact for assistance to communities in their region. In this blog series, you will learn about some of the existing Water Advisory Committees in the country, what they are, who they bring together, how they operate, and what assistance they provide to their state. In this blog, we will give an overview of the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council.
What is It?
The West Virginia Infrastructure & Jobs Development Council (IJDC) was created by the state legislature in 1994 to serve as a funding clearinghouse for water and wastewater projects. The IJDC will review project ideas and make recommendations to project sponsors (i.e., communities) on the amounts and sources of funding to pursue. All requests for funding from the West Virginia Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the West Virginia Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Fund (DWTRF) must go through the IJDC, but other funding sources may be recommended for a project as well. For example, the IJDC may recommend that a community should pursue a U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) loan, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), other local funding sources, and/or an IJDC grant.
The West Virginia Water Development Authority (WDA) provides staff and office space for the IJDC as well as GIS[SSP1] support. It serves as a revenue bond bank that provides financing for construction of wastewater and water facilities to Local Governmental Agencies, including-municipalities, public service districts, and other political subdivisions. The WDA is the administrator and fiduciary of the West Virginia Infrastructure Fund (Infrastructure Fund) and services all bonds and loans made at the direction of the IJDC, including those made through the CWSRF and DWTRF.
Committee Members
The full Council is chaired by the Governor or the Governor’s Designee. It consists of Public Voting Members, Agency Voting Members, Non-Voting Advisory Members, and Mandated Invitees that represent state agencies or entities, federal agencies, the public, and elected officials.
The Technical Review & Funding Committee consists of six voting members representing state agencies or entities. The Committee reviews each preliminary application to determine the project’s feasibility and cost effectiveness as well as the applicant’s ability to operate the system, and to recommend specific funding sources for projects.
Meetings
The IJDC meets monthly and the Technical Review & Funding Committee meets monthly a week or two prior to each Council meeting, presumably in order to prepare for the full IJDC meeting.
The IJDC Technical Review & Funding Committee, Consolidation Committee, and full Council meetings are open to the public and may be attended in-person, via conference call (call-in information is posted in each meeting’s agenda), or via live web stream (linked on the IJDC home page). Recordings of past meetings are available on the website, as well as meeting minutes.
How To Receive Assistance
The Project Center area of the IJDC website contains step-by-step information on how to request project funding.
First, in order to prepare and submit project applications via the online system, applicants must complete a 1.5 to 2-hour online training and certification to be granted access to the system. Currently this online training is accessible via the IJDC home page by reviewing the information under IJDC Online Training and then clicking: Updated IJDC Online Certification Training Course at the bottom of the page. Technical difficulties are handled by the IJDC helpdesk at helpdesk@wvwda.org or by phone at 304.414.6501 Ext. 118. The IJDC Help Desk will email a User ID and Password to applicants within one week of successfully completing the training.
Once the general project scope is known, applicants form a Project Team that includes an IJDC Certified Project Administrator. The Project Administrator then submits an online Project Initiation Form.
Once the Project Initiation Form is reviewed and accepted by IJDC, the Preliminary Application is completed. It consists of three parts: an Administrator Form, an Engineer Form, and an Accountant Form. The Preliminary Application must be submitted within six (6) months of the acceptance of the Project Initiation Form.
Preliminary Applications are first reviewed for completeness and technical feasibility and are then forwarded to the IJDC Funding Committee. If the Funding Committee recommends a funding package for the project, it will be reviewed at the monthly full Council IJDC meeting. If a project is approved, the Project Administrator must complete a Funding Recommendation Decision Form before moving forward with the project.
Point of Contact
Wayne Morgan, PE, Executive Director
Phone 304-414-6501, ext. 106
Cell: 304-989-3232
Email: wmorgan@wvwda.org
In Summary:
In West Virginia, most water and wastewater infrastructure project funding requests are reviewed and approved by the IJDC. The application process has been streamlined so that applicants only need a project idea and an estimated cost in order to get the process started. This simplified process eliminates the need to have all of the details about the specific sources of funding that might be applicable for a community’s project.
Most of West Virginia’s Regional Planning & Development Councils (RPDCs) have staff with experience and expertise in preparing infrastructure project funding applications. It is a good idea to contact the relevant RPDC early in the process of developing a project, especially if technical or application assistance is needed.