Saint Vincent de Paul requests city support as volunteers and council discuss funding options

Cathy (Kathy) Lemons, a county resident and member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, told the Alpine City Council on Sept. 10 that the volunteer organization provides emergency food and utility assistance to residents and that it ran out of funds in February before resuming limited assistance in May.

“My name is Kathy Lemons. I am a county resident, and I am a member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society Committee here in Alpine,” Lemons said during the public-comment period. She said the organization’s funds come from donations and local fundraising and are not affiliated with the diocese.

Council members discussed several options for short-term support and longer-term policy. Some council members said they could use discretionary council allocations to provide immediate help; others said the council should develop a formal application or policy for city support to local nonprofits.

Council member Martinez asked whether the city could provide a specific dollar amount; Lemons said the group would appreciate “anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000” but that “we’ll take what we can get.” Council member Stevens noted the political sensitivity of reallocating taxpayer funds and urged the development of a policy or application process before making recurring commitments. Council members suggested adding a discussion item to a future agenda to review all community organizations and a policy for city assistance.

What’s next

Council members agreed they could use individual council discretionary funds immediately and asked staff to place a discussion item on a future agenda to consider a city policy and application process for nonprofit support and to map existing community services so staff can make referrals. Lemons said Saint Vincent de Paul receives referrals from the hospital, police, schools and community action agencies and that electricity payments were the charity’s most frequent request this year.