Finance Committee Agenda and Packet 2024 10 17

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City Council Finance Committee Meeting Minutes September 19, 2024 Page 2 of 7 Committee Comments: Councilmember Kern asked about the recommendation to cap requests at 30% of a previous year rather than 50% increase. The Finance Director responded that additional applications received after the meeting materials were posted caused the reduction in order to fund more programs. Councilmember Kern asked if we had followed up with Meals on Wheels. She noted that this is a service used heavily by the community and she is concerned that they might have to decrease services due to lack of funding. She asked if they were limited on what they requested. The Finance Director responded that there were no restrictions on what organizations could request, noting that the awarded amount is 33% higher than last year. Brittany Vital, Development and Marketing Director of Coal Creek Meals on Wheels commented that the most funding they have received from the city in the past was $2,500 so they doubled their request this year based on best practices for grant applications. She confirmed that the need for their services is growing quickly, and funding is not keeping up. Councilmember Kern asked if there will be a reduction in services and if the city would be able to find budget for the full $5,000 request if it would allow Meals on Wheels not reduce services. Brittany responded that, so far, no waitlist has had to be implemented within the service area. She added that, if it gets to a point financially where funds are not available, they may need to implement a waitlist. Councilmember Hamlington asked about the process for selection and how much money is awarded. She asked if it is just historically how it has been done, that everyone who applies gets money and the pot is divided based on the number of applicants? Also, has the work plan or council priorities ever been applied to selecting who gets funding? The Finance Director responded that he wasn't part of the process for the previous budget cycle. He noted that, looking back, it appears that any organization which requested funds was rewarded some level of funds within the available budget. Councilmember Kern asked the City Clerk if she had any background information on the process. The City Clerk responded that she doesn't believe the city has given funding to all applicants in prior budget cycles and she will research and provide that information to the committee. Councilmember Hoefner commented that these are all organizations with relationships with the city over prior years and there is probably some value in continuing and maintaining those relationships. He noted that he reviewed the applications and felt they are all worth funding. He is inclined to agree with an approach where everyone gets what they ask for or a little more than previous year awards, especially given the total amount of money isn't a large amount and if we tried to divide it more specifically, he's not sure how much it would change. Councilmember Hamlington commented that the relationships are certainly important and as budgets get tight and number of applications increase, the committee might need to consider a different strategy when allocating funds to the different applicants. Councilmember Kern asked if there is any room in the budget to expand funding for some of these requests based on the percentage of the requests. Community Food Share was an example she presented, 4/87