County Of Yates

County Of Yates Yates County Division is a U.S. local government entity based in Penn Yan, New York that acts as a federal grant recipient, receiving project and formula grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Agriculture for airport infrastructure and rural broadband development. The county operates as a prime grant recipient (20% of awards) and receives pass-through sub-grants from New York State intermediary agencies (80% of awards), with no federal contract footprint.

The county's primary federal mission centers on Penn Yan Airport modernization and regional infrastructure. As a direct FAA recipient, Yates County has secured nine grants totaling approximately $4.3 million under the Airport Improvement Program (CFDA 20.106) since 2022 for runway reconstruction, taxiway extension, apron rehabilitation, snow removal equipment replacement, and wildlife perimeter fencing at the airport. Representative awards include a $1.758 million formula grant (September 2024) for final construction of a 1,700-foot taxiway extension, a $425,026 project grant (August 2025) for snow removal equipment replacement, and a $180,249 project grant (June 2026) for runway end identifier lights reconstruction. The county also received a $3.2 million project grant from the Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service (March 2023) to address cost overruns on a broadband infrastructure project serving rural Yates County residents under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loans and Grants program (CFDA 10.855), with ultimate completion scheduled for March 2025.

The vast majority of Yates County's federal award activity arrives through New York State intermediary agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families channels 157 sub-grants (covering approximately 64% of recent awards) to the county, primarily for child welfare and family services administration. The New York State Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance and New York State Division of Children & Family Services serve as prime grantees, passing funds to Yates County for case management, emergency assistance, and temporary assistance to needy families (TANF) programs. The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency funds county-level emergency management and homeland security activities through the New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services, with 18 sub-grants supporting county-wide road reconstruction and emergency debris removal. The Department of Veterans Affairs funds home health care services at the county level through Veterans Integrated Service Network 2, with 13 awards totaling $77 thousand.

Activity has accelerated sharply in recent years, from four awards in 2022 to 75 in 2024 and 81 in 2025, driven almost entirely by pass-through sub-grant volume from New York State social services and emergency management agencies. Only one award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, reflecting the forward-looking nature of Yates County's federal funding pipeline. The county places task orders under two Veterans Affairs basic ordering agreements (VA528BO0104 and VA528BO0276) carrying approximately $150 thousand in combined potential value. Yates County's federal posture is non-competitive — as a local government entity, it does not compete for contracts or pursue set-aside designations; instead, it receives direct appropriations and pass-through grants from federal and state agencies to support core county operations in aviation, emergency management, and social services.