1. (1) A grant request may be submitted prior to the merger, and up to 180 days after the merger. A grant request is received when it is completed; that is, when Board staff receive the grant request in a manner approved by the Board including all required supplemental information set forth in 1715-06(2)(b).
2. (2) The Board will review completed grant requests at the first meeting following Board staff’s receipt of the request. At this meeting the Board will approve, deny, or modify the grant, or request further information prior to issuing a final order.
3. (3) A party to a merger may request an amendment to the grant or make an amendment to a grant request freely. The Board will review the amendment at its next regular meeting. Board staff may request additional information following receipt of an amendment, if necessary.
4. (4) If grant payments were made to a utility system and that utility system does not merge as described in its grant request, the utility system must repay the URF in full within 180 days of the date on which the plans to merge are discontinued or dissolved. If no such date can be determined, the URF must be repaid in full within 180 days of the day Board staff learn that the merger will not proceed.
5. (5) Any grant amount that is not used for approved purposes must be reimbursed to the URF within 180 days of the inappropriate use. If the date of the inappropriate use is not known, the amount must be reimbursed within 180 days of the date Board staff learn of the inappropriate payment.
6. (6) Any grant or grant request is subject to the availability of funds in the URF, and any pending grant payments may be reduced or terminated if funds become unavailable.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-201, et seq., 7-82-702, 7-82-704, and 7-82-708. Administrative History: New rules filed May 5, 2025; effective August 3, 2025.