On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, the Lewis County Board of Commissioners met and voted unanimously to apply for a non-competitive $3,250,908 water infrastructure grant through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Once the grant is approved by the state, the county has agreed to award those funds to the City of Hohenwald, and collaborate with them on the infrastructure and asset management needs in our community. The city will then administer the grant, and pay the required match.

During the meeting, Commissioner Timmie Hinson stated that he and Lewis County Mayor Jonah Keltner had recently attended a meeting with representatives from the city, the South Central Tennessee Development District, as well as two engineering firms, and they asked if the funds could be used to extend water lines into the county.

“We were told this grant could not be used to extend water lines into the county, because I was hoping to get some help to the residents on Indian Creek”, stated Hinson. A TDEC handout in the commissioner’s agenda packet confirmed that water line extensions were not part of the “Critical Need Priority Areas” established by the state for the grant.

According to Mayor Keltner, “Because the county and city have agreed to collaborate on this project, the state has rewarded our community with a 5% reduction on the required match, which amounts to a savings of over $160,000 on this particular grant. That’s great news for local taxpayers, and proves how important and valuable it is for the county and city to have a good working relationship.”

The application process is currently open for this non-competitive grant program, and TDEC will review, evaluate and recommend grant awards within 30 days of receiving a complete grant proposal and application. TDEC will then announce grant winners and execute contracts within 60 days of the recommendations.