| (a) It is the policy of the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Commission that the department award and administer projects under
this subchapter in accord with the provisions of this subchapter,
with the intent to provide the greatest number of high-quality outdoor
and indoor recreational opportunities for Texas, consistent with Parks
and Wildlife Code, Chapter 24, and the priorities and policies articulated
in the department's Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation
Plan and the Texas Outdoor Recreation Plan (required for federal funding),
as applicable.
(b) The department will not accept or evaluate a project
proposal that is not submitted to the department via the department's
on-line application process.
(c) The department will not score an application that
is not administratively complete. An administratively complete application
is an application that is in substantive compliance with the requirements
of this subchapter, as determined by the department.
(d) If an applicant is in compliance with the conditions
of existing or previous grant agreements with the department, the
application will be scored and considered for funding. If the applicant
is not in compliance with existing or previous grant agreements, the
department may request the applicant to submit an action plan for
addressing deficiencies or problematic issues. If the applicant is
unable to provide, to the department's satisfaction, evidence that
the deficiencies or problematic issues in question can or will be
resolved, the department may choose not to score the application or
consider it further.
(e) The department will evaluate prospective projects
on a qualitative basis, awarding points within the specified range
(from 0 (no points) to the maximum allowable for each criterion) according
to the department's determination of how the applicant's treatment
of any given component places along a continuum from poor to excellent.
The department will not automatically award points for cursory, mechanical
attempts to address as many criteria as possible in order to accrue
points.
(f) Applications for grants under this subchapter shall
be scored according to the provisions of this subchapter and shall
be ranked in relation to the scores of other applications under consideration.
(g) Projects funded under this subchapter shall be
pursued by the sponsor in accordance with the timelines established
by the department for each project, unless the department determines
that circumstances beyond the sponsor's control warrant timeline extension.
Failure to meet timelines or timeline extensions shall be grounds
for the department to initiate cancellation of the affected project.
(h) Grant awards are dependent on the availability
of grant funds.
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