The Decatur City Council voted unanimously to transfer $19,250 from a bridal-services donations fund to the motor-vehicles fund for purchase of a specialized animal-services truck, city staff said at the meeting.

Why it matters: The transfer redraws unspecified donations to buy a vehicle that the Parks and Recreation department said will provide “safe and comfortable transport of animals” to the animal services facility. Several citizens said donors expected their money to support direct care items and asked the city to notify donors before repurposing funds.

Finance explanation and donor designation
Dawn Roediger of the city finance department explained how the city tracks donations and the policy for designated versus unspecified gifts. She told the council the bridal-services fund contained $26,727.20 from current and prior years and that donors had not specified a particular purpose. Roediger said, “A donation has to be specified by the donor at the time it is donated in order to be used for some set purpose that the donor wishes it to be used for.”

Roediger said department heads may recommend uses for unspecified donations, but any change requires council approval because it involves a budget amendment.

Public comments and dog-park concerns
Sarah French, a resident who spoke during public comment, said she had been contacted by at least 20 residents and relayed their objections to using the donations for a truck. French said donors “gave it for direct support for the animals such as blankets, toys, and treats,” and argued the city should notify donors if it plans to use those funds for something else. She added that citizens would prefer a temporary dog park in the city center because many residents who rely on central parks cannot travel to a replacement park on the city’s outskirts.

Council action
The motion to designate the unspecified bridal-services donations for shelter operations and to authorize the transfer for the truck purchase was moved by Council member Patrick Pepper and seconded by a council member; the council approved the transfer 5-0.

What the transfer does not resolve
Roediger said the donations are being recommended for shelter operations “specifically to aid in the purchase of an animal services specialized truck.” The council did not adopt a separate policy change for donor notification; Roediger described the existing practice of tracking designated vs. unspecified donations and requiring council approval for use of unspecified funds.

The council approved the transfer at the regular meeting; staff did not provide a timeline for when the vehicle would be purchased or placed into service.