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Resident Evelyn Smith urges council to clarify TIERS eligibility for nonprofits after application dispute
Summary
Evelyn Smith, who identifies herself as SMD5, told the City Council she and Gethsemane Church were eligible to apply for TIERS funds and expressed disappointment after staff and council comments suggested nonprofits might not qualify. She urged the council to correct the record and not place blame on applicants.
Evelyn Smith (SMD 5) used the public-comment period to press the San Angelo City Council for clarity about TIERS program eligibility for nonprofit applicants and to request that the record reflect past council guidance.
Smith said she first raised TIERS funding for nonprofits at an August 2, 2022, council meeting and that then-mayoral remarks indicated nonprofits were not eligible because they do not pay taxes. She said a subsequent August 18, 2022, council action combined North and South TIERS policies and opened application eligibility to North-side nonprofits, and she said the city later accepted an application from her nonprofit (Gethsemane Church). “I’d like the record to reflect that the waters was already muddy when the nonprofit, church was eligible to put in the application but never was going to be approved,” Smith said.
Smith also quoted a January 7, 2025, council exchange she said referenced her organization: she reported the mayor saying she had been told a nonprofit “who brings nothing to the table, wants to take advantage of the program?” and Smith responded that the council previously authorized nonprofits to apply. Smith told the council the application followed the city’s rules as they were presented and asked that council not “point the finger at the nonprofit.” She closed by thanking the TIERS board and the council despite differences.
What Smith asked the council to do was procedural: clarify whether prior council direction and the TIERS policy actually allowed North-side nonprofits to apply and to correct the record if prior statements suggested otherwise. Smith referenced Rick Wise, assistant city manager, as saying on January 7 that the council (not staff) sets who can apply under TIERS policy.
This was a public comment item; no motion or council action followed during the meeting.
Clarifying details: - Smith cited two prior dates: Aug. 2, 2022 (first inquiry about TIERS for nonprofits) and Aug. 18, 2022 (council combined North and South TIERS policy language). She also cited remarks from Jan. 7, 2025. These dates were stated by the speaker in public comment. - Smith identified herself as the applicant representing Gethsemane Church and SMD 5 resident; the transcript does not record a council decision on this application at this meeting.
Why it matters: Smith’s remarks raise a procedural question about program eligibility and whether council or staff direction created confusion. Council members did not take action on Smith’s remarks during the meeting; staff follow-up or a formal request to place the TIERS eligibility question on a future agenda would be the appropriate next step if council chooses to act.
