Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Childcare Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pulaski County Council approves $20,000 from solar fund to help open west-side child care center
Summary
The Pulaski County Council voted to allocate portions of its economic development payments to four school corporations and to provide $20,000 to Caterpillar Corner, a new nonprofit child care operator planned for downtown Francesville, using the solar economic development fund.
The Pulaski County Council voted to allocate money from the county's economic development payments to four school districts and to provide a $20,000 operational gift to Caterpillar Corner, a nonprofit child-care operator planned for downtown Francesville.
The motion, presented by a council member during the meeting, earmarked $90,000 for Winamac, $55,000 for West Central, $9,000 for Culver and $5,000 for North Judson–San Pierre and directed a $20,000 direct payment to Caterpillar Corner operations. The council approved the measure by voice vote.
Morgan Feder, a member of the Pulaski County Early Learning Network, a program of the Community Foundation of Pulaski County, told the council the area is a child-care desert and asked the council to consider a $20,000 gift “from the solar economic development fund to help open the doors of the West Side's only licensed child care center.” Feder said the early learning network is converting the former St. Francis Solano Catholic Church on Montgomery Street, next to the Salem Township Public Library, into a licensed center to serve birth-to-5 children.
Feder said the Community Foundation and local partners commissioned a needs study that estimated Pulaski County employers lose about $2.1 million annually because of limited child care. She also said the project has a fundraising goal of $100,000 that will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Community Foundation and that the campaign is 76% complete.
Council discussion confirmed Caterpillar Corner has secured nonprofit status; a participant in the meeting said the organization “received their status last week.” Council members discussed whether the recommended revolving loan fund could be used (staff said that fund is currently unavailable and, where open, would be limited to for-profit businesses) and whether the requested money must come from the solar economic development fund or could be identified elsewhere in county budgets. Nathan, the county CDC/economic-development director, explained the solar fund was proposed because it would not draw on operational tax revenues.
Anne Wright, speaking during the meeting on behalf of the Community Foundation, asked whether a grant could be routed through the foundation to qualify for the county match before being passed to Caterpillar Corner; council members agreed that routing through the foundation to support operations was acceptable.
The council record shows the motion carried on a voice vote; the meeting minutes do not record an itemized roll-call for individual council members in the transcript excerpt.
The council action directs funds for immediate operations and leaves further allocation of remaining economic development payments to a future meeting.
