Shannon Lowery, president of the board of trustees for GCJ News, told the Ephrata City Council that the nonprofit news venture launched in August and has raised about $80,000 in donations but needs roughly $225,000 a year to be sustainable.

Lowery said GCJ News — formed after the local Grama County Journal closed — intends to provide free, no-paywall local news, cover local government and schools, maintain an archive for community records and distribute a weekly newsletter on Thursdays. She named Randy Brock as the outlet’s editor and said the team currently includes a reporter, an IT manager and a development lead.

"We went live in August. We have received about $80,000 in donations since we really got going this summer," Lowery said during the council’s public comment period. She told the council GCJ seeks a funding mix led by individual donations, foundation grants and local advertising and asked the city to consider support.

City council members asked how the outlet differs from other online sources and probed the nonprofit’s goals and sustainability. Lowery said GCJ will publish stories as they are completed rather than on a fixed print schedule, will not use a paywall and will offer an app and newsletter to reach different age groups.

Councilmember Matt said he supported the endeavor. "I fully support this endeavor. I think it's a big deal to have as much local communication as we can," he said.

Council members and staff emphasized limits on what the city can give directly. A city attorney and staff noted that an outright $5,000 gift could amount to unlawful gifting of public funds; the council therefore directed staff to research lawful mechanisms for support — such as a contract for advertising or other return on investment — and to return with options. Council discussion identified the city’s general fund as the likeliest source for any discretionary support and flagged that fund as limited.

Mayor and council members said they were not opposed to providing some support but wanted staff to identify legal and budgetary pathways, including draft contract terms, advertising opportunities, or other arrangements that would not constitute an impermissible gift of public funds.

Lowery and other GCJ representatives said the group will continue pursuing a mix of donations, grants and advertising; she asked the council to consider sustaining the outlet as part of the local information ecosystem. The council did not authorize a specific payment at the meeting and gave staff direction to return with options and legal analysis.

Next steps: staff will draft options and legal analysis for council review at a future meeting. The council also scheduled internal follow-up to determine parameters for any city involvement.