Council reviews $1-time nonprofit requests; directs $40,000 for arts commission, recommends $60,000 for Avalon and requests more info on counseling center

City Manager Mike presented the recommended 2026 budget and a set of one-time funding requests drawn from the city’s $17.5 million unrestricted fund balance, asking council for direction before public hearings.

The request list included: the Arts Commission’s $100,000 request (staff included $40,000 in the recommended budget and identified $60,000 as remaining), the Avalon Foundation’s $60,000 request for dressing-room improvements in the city-owned Avalon Theater, and a $20,986 request from the Counseling Education Center (CEC) to cover increased construction-related costs including transportation capacity payment and inspection fees for their Orchard Mesa location. Mike described the unrestricted fund balance as a non-recurring “savings account” the city can draw on for one-time expenditures but not recurring operations.

Why…