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Belton council backs Missouri Main Street grant application after debate over nonprofit role and $14,000 match
Summary
The City Council approved a resolution endorsing a Missouri Main Street Community Empowerment Program grant application and signaled city support for a newly forming downtown nonprofit, despite questions about who will lead the group and whether the city should shoulder a $14,000 match.
The Belton City Council voted to endorse the city’s application to the Missouri Main Street Community Empowerment Program, approving a resolution that allows staff to support a grassroots effort to rejoin the state Main Street network.
City staff described the Missouri Main Street program as a two-year initiative that provides a consultant, training and technical assistance, noting the program offers a competitive $45,000 grant and requires a local match of about $14,000. “We’re not asking the city to take charge of this. We’re asking for help to get started,” an organizer leading the effort said, adding that the new nonprofit would be the primary implementer and that staff assistance would be limited to usual event support.
Council members pressed organizers and staff for clarity on who would be part of the new nonprofit, the group’s relationship with the existing Downtown Belton Main Street, Inc. (DBMSI), and whether the city would be expected to run or underwrite ongoing operations. Council member Danesh said she was confused by records on Missouri Main Street’s website that listed a downtown organization as in good standing, and asked whether the city can have two different Main Street groups: “Can you have more than one downtown Main Street committee? If you can’t, how are you going to approach that?”
Staff replied that, according to Missouri Main Street, Belton currently is not an affiliate in good standing and that the previously affiliated group had been given a deadline to renew and did not complete that action. The organizer said that DBMSI president Gary Mallory and board member Art Ruiz had been consulted and backed the new effort but that the state affiliation had lapsed since February 2020. The organizer also listed proposed nonprofit directors by name and business affiliation and said articles of incorporation were drafted but not yet filed.
Some council members said they were supportive but wanted more time or transparency about board membership and city involvement. Council member White moved to postpone the vote to the next regular meeting so members could gather more information; the motion failed for lack of a second. After additional discussion and assurances from staff that the $14,000 match was available within the current economic development budget and that the city manager’s purchasing authority covered the match if needed, the council voted to approve the resolution.
The motion carried with the council voting “Aye” on the record. The resolution directs staff to provide the necessary support to apply for the Missouri Main Street grant and to assist the nascent nonprofit as it organizes.
Why it matters: Rejoining Missouri Main Street would make Belton eligible for state-supported downtown revitalization services and grant funding but raises questions about local governance of downtown development, the role of city staff, and whether existing local nonprofits and business groups will collaborate or duplicate effort.
