Snowmobile safety enforcement grants 2010 - 2011

Snowmobile enforcement assistance for local law enforcement

Program Purpose: The 2009 Minnesota Legislature provided $315,000 to the Department of Natural Resources to fund the Snowmobile Safety Enforcement Grant Program during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 winter seasons.

Who May Apply: Counties are eligible to apply for grant funds. Cities within any given county may be provided payments by a county for services provided, through a sub-grant. Those arrangements are at the discretion of a given county, and will need to be documented for reimbursement through this grant program. 

Levels of Assistance: Reimbursement funds to each participating county are provided based on the following criteria:

  • Snowmobile Trail miles within a county;
  • Number of snowmobiles registered to residents of a given county;
  • Number of snowmobiles actually used within a given county;
  • County Population;
  • Holding of mandatory Snowmobile Safety training sessions for youth-aged riders;
  • County Participation in the Snowmobile Safety Enforcement Grant Program.

Eligible Funding Uses: In the 2010-2011 time periods, SSE Program Funds may be used for the following:

  • Staff time to participate in Snowmobile Safety Enforcement activities; priority is placed on training local participant staff, holding DNR safety enforcement programs, and patrol activities.
  • Maintenance and repair of equipment, costs of fuel and lubricants to operate snowmobiles.
  • Purchase of equipment dedicated to ONLY snowmobile safety use.
  • Purchase of snowmobile suits and helmets for a participant county’s staff (no standard equipment or uniform items).

General Information: A total of $315,000 is available for use during the winters of 2009-10 and 2010-11. Counties will again be awarded funding on a two-year basis. Grant amounts awarded will be the same in each year of the grant and its contract, and will be provided to the county in the form of a reimbursement payment, one payment per county, per program year. As a condition of accepting this grant award, counties MUST post how the grant funding was spent, on their respective websites.

Requirements: Grant recipients are paid via a reimbursement payment, which requires that a participant county submit the proper forms, proving that expenses were incurred, to the DNR. This is outlined in the SSE Completion Report Instructions.

How to Apply: Counties have been mailed application information, with those counties choosing to participate having contracts mailed to them, for signature and return to DNR. Note: No reimbursement will be made to a county for work done without having a signed, returned and fully executed state contract in place. Also, payments will be made only on the basis of the state fiscal years. Proof of expenditure must be provided to each county, generally in the form of an Integrated Payment System Report, from the County Auditor.

For More Information Contact:

Chuck Niska
Program Manager Senior
Minnesota DNR Division of Enforcement
500 Lafayette Road, Box 47
St. Paul, MN 55155-4047
612-756-4165
chuck.niska@state.mn.us