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Committee untables $300,000 childcare-circuit transfer; Lawtown Boxing raises reimbursement concerns
Summary
The committee voted to untable item 22B-25, an appropriation transfer of $300,000 to the childcare circuit, discussed subrecipient readiness for reimbursement-based contracts and directed staff to return with an updated memo and recommended award amounts.
The Lawrence City Budget and Finance Committee voted to untable item 22B-25, an appropriation transfer in the amount of $300,000 from various accounts to the childcare circuit, and discussed subrecipient readiness to manage reimbursement-based contracts.
Councilors and staff heard from Edwin Candelario, who introduced himself as a representative of Lawtown Boxing, and from Sue Fink, the city’s financial manager, about practical issues that can affect a nonprofit or small program’s ability to operate on a reimbursement basis. Candelario said the gym relies largely on donations and does not charge participants; when equipment breaks, “the coaches cover it,” and the organization does not generally keep large bank balances. He said Lawtown Boxing had previously been discussed for an $80,000 award but that the gym “is not going to spend the full $80. So I wanna be kind of upfront and fair about that. … We could probably spend about half of that money.” Candelario also said the gym had recently received $40,000 from another grant.
Sue Fink described the city’s reimbursement process and timeline: “if all of your paperwork is in order and you submit it to us, we can usually turn a check around within a week or 2.” She advised that very small reimbursement requests can impose disproportionate staff time and that subrecipients often include payroll line items in contracts.
Committee members discussed options for ensuring subrecipients can meet contract requirements, including using a business credit card or debit account to front purchases and then submitting timely documentation for reimbursement. The committee asked Fink to prepare a short, updated memo with a corrected recommended amount for the transfer and for staff to work directly with applicants (Fink and Lawtown Boxing) to itemize expenditures and determine an appropriate award. The committee later retabled item 22B-25 pending that memo and additional review.
During the discussion members also noted prior full-council actions affecting related items, including transfers involving Lawrence General and Greater Lawrence Family Health Center; the committee agreed to hold a related item (76B-24) in place until allocations are finalized.
