82a-956. Water technical assistance fund; administration; expenditures from fund; limitations; rules and regulations. (a) (1) There is hereby established in the state treasury the water technical assistance fund. The fund shall be administered by the Kansas water office. Expenditures from such fund shall be used for the purposes described in subsection (b). All expenditures shall be made in accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the director of the Kansas water office, or such director's designee.

(2) Whenever the unencumbered balance of the water technical assistance fund exceeds $15,000,000, such excess moneys may be recommended for appropriation by the Kansas water authority for the same purposes as any other moneys in the state water plan fund are appropriated.

(b) (1) The water technical assistance fund shall be used by the Kansas water office to provide grants for the planning, engineering, managing and other technical assistance that may be necessary in the development of plans for water infrastructure projects or for processing the grant and loan applications for such water infrastructure projects. The Kansas water office may offer services directly, provide funding to other organizations to provide such services at no cost to a municipality or special district related to water or the Kansas water office may provide grants directly to applicants to cover expenses related to the hiring of such technical assistance.

(2) Any municipality or special district related to water organized under the laws of the state of Kansas may apply for a grant, and the Kansas water office is authorized to award full or partial grants to such applicants. Municipalities with fewer than 2,000 residents shall be prioritized for the awarding of full grants. Watershed districts, conservation districts, groundwater management districts and all special districts related to water shall not be prioritized for the awarding of full grants for the purposes of this section.

(c) The Kansas water office shall adopt rules and regulations to establish any necessary criteria for administering the water technical assistance fund and awarding grants for technical assistance. Such criteria shall include, but not be limited to, factors applicable to:

(1) Municipalities of different populations including the prioritization of small municipalities as required by subsection (b)(2). Such factors may include, but not be limited to, public health, socio-economic factors and the ability for a municipality to repay any loans without grant assistance; and

(2) special districts such as watershed districts, conservation districts, groundwater management districts, rural water districts and any other similar districts formed for a special or single purpose related to water.

(d) No single grant awarded for technical assistance pursuant to this section shall exceed $1,000,000 unless specified by any appropriation act of the Kansas legislature.

History: L. 2023, ch. 59, § 4; April 27.