Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lake City approves $17,500 from ‘Mariah Fund’ to sponsor 50 children at Richardson Community Center summer camp
Summary
Council voted to allocate up to $17,500 from the Mariah Fund to cover registration for up to 50 city-resident children at Richardson Community Center’s summer program. Staff will verify registration and receipts; program includes safety and police outreach activities.
The Lake City City Council on May 19 approved a one‑time allocation of up to $17,500 from the city’s Mariah Fund to sponsor registration for up to 50 Lake City children at the Richardson Community Center summer camp.
Why it matters: The money will provide summer programming for ages 5–13, including safety education and police outreach, and uses funds the council earlier set aside for community anti‑violence efforts. The council asked for accountability: staff will verify city residency and registration numbers and Richardson will provide budget and receipts for the expense.
The request came from Police Chief Butler and Councilwoman Chevelle Young. Chief Butler framed the program as a violence‑prevention and youth engagement effort, describing planned activities such as an Eddie Eagle gun‑safety presentation, a “meet a police officer” day, a canine demonstration, social media safety training from the Internet Crimes Against Children unit and drug awareness sessions with the narcotics unit. “We will have programs for the kids,” Butler said, and described the camp as a way “to give them something to do during the day instead of hanging out in the streets.”
Program details: The camp registration fee is $350 per child and includes daily activities, STEM components, supplies, some trip fees (which families may pay by day or week), and a camp T‑shirt. Richardson staff said pre‑registration had just opened and only three applications were on file at the time of the meeting; the council directed that sponsored slots be offered to city residents and that priority be given to families who missed a sponsored slot in the prior year.
Fiscal and accountability steps: Council members required verification before funds are paid. The motion approved funding “up to $17,500” to cover 50 registrations and included these conditions: funds to be used for Lake City residents only, Richardson to provide the city with a budget and receipts for expenditures, and the city will verify the actual number of sponsored registrations before releasing funds. Councilmember Carter and others said they want the city to continue planning ahead so future allocations can be considered before registration opens.
Next steps: Richardson will complete registration, provide the city with a list of verified registrants and a budget; the city will disburse funds consistent with the verification and accounting plan.
