IMPORTANT UPDATE: NEW OPTION TO MEET YOUR AUGUST 30, 2024 MCWI OBLIGATION DEADLINE
Mississippi Municipality & County Water Infrastructure Grant Program
The Mississippi Legislature and Governor Tate Reeves created the Mississippi Municipality & County Water Infrastructure Grant Program Act (MCWI) to provide approximately $450 Million of matching funds to eligible entities for making necessary investments in water, waste water and stormwater infrastructure. All funds must be obligated by August 30, 2024, and expended by September 30, 2026. The program is a reimbursement-based program where subrecipients can submit reimbursement requests for eligible costs incurred on approved projects.
MCWI Subrecipient Informational Webinar 2.27.24
MCWI Subrecipient Webinar Questions 2.27.24
Memorandum of Understanding
For subrecipients that may have difficulty meeting the August 30, 2024, obligation deadline, U.S. Treasury has determined that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between departments within a subrecipient’s government constitutes an obligation of ARPA funds. Examples of a valid MOU are one executed between your County Board of Supervisors and your County Administrator, or between your Board of Alderman/City Council and your Mayor/City Manager.
MCWI Municipality MOU Template
MCWI Board of Supervisor MOU Template
Per U.S. Treasury, a valid MOU must satisfy one of the following conditions:
- it imposes conditions on the use of funds by the agency, department, or part of government receiving funds to carry out the program;
- it governs the provision of funds from one agency, department, or part of government to another to carry out an eligible use of LFRF; or
- it governs the procurement of goods or services by one agency, department, or part of government from another.
Additionally, the MOU must contain each of the following items:
- it sets forth specific requirements, such as a scope of work and project deliverables;
- it is signed by the parties to the agreement, or otherwise evidences that each party has assented to the agreement; and
- it does not disclaim any binding effect or state that it does not create rights or obligations.
- Use the above linked template as a guide for completing your MOU(s). If this template does not meet your form of government, please contact Thomas Tynes at: [email protected] or 601-961-5578.
- Ensure that your MOU(s) is executed by the proper parties as outlined above. Subrecipients with multiple subawards should execute one MOU per subaward.
- Once your MOU(s) is executed, it must be uploaded to the MCWI portal by August 30, 2024.
- Continue to work to properly procure and execute contracts and upload all contracts to the MCWI portal within 15 days of execution as required by your MCWI subaward.
Additional information on use of an MOU for ARPA LFRF obligations may be found at:
- U.S. Treasury May 2024 Obligation Webinar Slides
- U.S. Treasury Updated SLFRF Final Rule FAQs (we recommend reviewing the FAQs starting at FAQ 17).
If you elect to use a MOU to obligate your LFRF, you will need to report that obligation to U.S. Treasury as part of your normal, independent reporting to the U.S. Treasury portal.
PLEASE NOTE: Your reimbursement requests will not be processed until formal contracts have been executed, uploaded to the MCWI portal, and reviewed by the MCWI grant team.
Preliminary Procurement Review
MCWI subrecipients may request a preliminary compliance review from HORNE prior to procurement and contract execution.
* This review is optional.
Upon request, HORNE’s MCWI Program Administration Team, contracted through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will perform a review of:
- pre-solicitation documents,
- post-solicitation/pre-contract documents.
Subrecipients may request either or both reviews.
Although this review cannot guarantee full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, this offering is designed to provide additional technical assistance to subrecipients in curing defects before procurement steps have been taken or contracts have been executed.
To request a review, please complete the following steps:
- Download the procurement and contract worksheet.
- Complete the worksheet to the extent possible given the current project stage and upload to the MCWI Portal along with relevant documents.
- Email [email protected] and include the subject “REQUEST FOR PRELIMINARY REVIEW [Include Subaward #]”
- Additionally, the following webinars and other resources remain available to all subrecipients.
- At this time, the Program Administration Team is requesting a minimum of 14 days to review any request. This may be subject to change depending on the volume of requests received.
Frequently Asked Questions
Recent Updates
06-20-24 – MOU Obligation information
6-20-2024 – MOU Obligation information
01-02-24 - MCWI preliminary compliance review
MCWI Preliminary Procurement Compliance Review
04-20-23 - Senate Bill No. 2444
Senate Bill No. 2444 to revise the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program
03-30-23 - FAQ Update
The FAQ document was updated to reflect changes.
Senate Bill No. 2444 to revise the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program administered by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
Senate Bill No. 2822 to establish the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program Act of 2022 administered by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
These regulations, adopted pursuant to Senate Bill No. 2822, shall govern the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure (MCWI) Grant Program and its implementation.
The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, a part of the American Rescue Plan, delivers $350 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments across the country.
Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: Overview of the Final Rule U.S. from the Department of The Treasury – a simplified user guide to the final rule provisions.
The Secretary of the Treasury is issuing an interim final rule to implement the amendments made by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.
Subrecipient Compliance
Subrecipeints awarded MCWI Grant funds are required to comply with all terms and conditions outlined in their Subaward Agreement(s) to receive reimbursement for eligible costs incurred on their project(s). These requirements include, but are not limited to, submission of all required procurement and reimbursement documentation, and all quarterly and final progress reports for all MCWI projects. It is the duty of the subrecipient to submit the required documentation into the Grant Portal. If you have any questions please contact: [email protected]
Disclaimer
This page will serve as an information hub for applicants, subrecipients, and interested parties for the life of the program. It will be periodically updated with information provided by the U.S. Treasury as well as pertinent information specific to the program as may be determined by MDEQ. Subrecipients should not use this site as their sole basis for knowledge regarding federal requirements associated with ARPA programs.
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Archive
Resources
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Past Updates
01-25-23 - FAQ Update
The FAQ document was updated to reflect changes.
12-16-22 - Regulations Update
The Regulations document was updated to reflect changes.
12-13-22 - Scoring System Update
The Scoring system document was updated to reflect changes.
09-30-22 - FAQ Update
The FAQ document was updated to reflect changes.
09-23-22 - FAQ Update
The FAQ document was updated to reflect changes.
09-15-22 - Application Portal Questions
Updated Application Portal Questions document
09-15-22 - Procurement Training Video
Added Procurement Training Video
09-13-22 - State of MS MAGIC link
Link updated
09-13-22 - Data Tools added
Data tools add
09-06-22 - Application Portal Questions
The Application Portal Questions document was updated to reflect changes.
08-17-22 - Grant Program Regulations
The Regulations document was updated to reflect changes.
08-17-22 - Scoring System Update
The Scoring System document was updated to reflect changes.
