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County to treat Patuxent River Naval Air Museum request as one-time fund balance allocation; nonprofits otherwise held to flat funding pending VCC study
Summary
Commissioners agreed to move the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum’s $130,000 request into a one-time fund-balance allocation and asked for a business plan and a not-to-exceed repair estimate before releasing funds. The board also directed flat funding for most nonprofits for FY16 while a Vital Community Connectors (VCC) review continues.
St. Mary’s County commissioners on March 16 moved the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum’s $130,000 request out of the annual nonprofit allocations and into a one-time fund-balance allocation, subject to conditions including a business plan and a cost estimate. Commissioners said they want a definitive business plan within 90 days and a cost estimate for the museum repairs that would be set as a not-to-exceed (NTE) number.
Commissioner Morgan told the board he would support the museum’s capital improvement request if the museum produces, within 90 days, “a solid business plan” and a cost estimate of $575,508 (the figure was discussed in the meeting and recorded as the cost estimate provided at the session); Morgan said that $575,508 should be treated as an NTE capital amount and that the museum should present a business plan showing how operations and capital needs will be managed.
The board also discussed the broader nonprofit allocation process. County staff and representatives of the Vital Community Connectors (VCC) said they are working on a review to develop clearer criteria for which nonprofit organizations receive county funding and to reduce duplication of services among groups. Commissioners agreed to hold overall nonprofit funding largely flat for FY16 (the hospice request was withdrawn and the museum request moved to fund balance), pending the completion of that VCC review and recommendations to be ready for the next budget cycle.
Commissioners asked that department heads be empowered to manage funding for quasi-governmental or economic-development groups where appropriate; one commissioner suggested moving the Navy Alliance’s line into the economic development director’s budget in future years rather than leaving it in the nonprofit allocation list.
Ending: The board instructed staff to record the museum allocation as a one-time fund balance item subject to specified conditions, to maintain flat funding for the nonprofit list pending VCC-led review, and to return recommended changes ahead of the next budget cycle.
