Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council asks staff to verify senior-center funding after conflicting past statements about FEMA and homeless grants
Summary
Finance staff said the senior center runs a persistent deficit — roughly $6,500 in revenue against about $85,200 in expenses — and the council directed staff to verify whether prior statements that FEMA or homeless-grant funds were used for senior-center expenses are accurate and, if misuse occurred, to correct fund accounting before audit.
Council members asked staff on July 8 to verify the funding sources used for the Parlier Senior Center after members of the public and past council discussions suggested some expenses had been charged to FEMA or a homeless grant.
Finance Director Myra Escobedo told the council the senior center typically records about $6,500 in revenue while its expenses run roughly $85,200 annually; the difference is covered from the city’s general fund. She said the city receives “very little” direct revenue for the senior center and that general-fund transfers have historically sustained programming.
Multiple council members said community members have questioned whether past statements—recorded on video—showed that $30,000 had been provided from the general fund and $30,000 from a homeless grant in March 2023. A councilmember asked Escobedo to check with the county or grant administrators and to confirm whether FEMA, a homeless grant or other restricted funding was used for senior-center expenses.
A councilmember told staff that if restricted FEMA or homeless-grant money had been used for the senior center in a way that violates the grant terms, those amounts should be moved back into the proper grant accounts before the city’s audit to avoid noncompliance. Escobedo said she would look into the prior-year accounting and report back.
Council members also asked where fees collected for renting the senior center are recorded; staff said rental receipts are deposited to the general fund.
