Dallas Center-Grimes board approves facility-use deal with New Hope Assembly of God after public questions on fees and ties to a board member

The Dallas Center‑Grimes Community School District board voted to approve a yearlong facility‑use agreement with New Hope Assembly of God after residents raised concerns about cost details and a potential conflict of interest involving a board member. The agreement, described by the district as covering regular Sunday use of the high school auditorium, the Mustang Room and choir rooms, was approved after debate; the motion carried by recorded voice vote with objections and at least one abstention.

In public comment prior to the board’s formal discussion, Will Ruble of Grimes urged recusal by a board member he identified in public records as connected to New Hope. “I respectfully urge Mr. McNace to recuse himself from any discussion or vote on the matter,” Ruble said, citing Secretary of State filings that list the same officers for the church and a related nonprofit. Ruble noted a discrepancy between public fundraising claims and the organization’s federal filings and asked the board to review the agreement closely.

Denise Perez, also of Grimes, pressed for an itemized fee schedule, saying the draft contract was unclear about which rooms and hours were included. “It doesn’t really say what we are charging, what our fees are being considered for specific items,” Perez said, and asked the board to “table the item until there is more information and further clarification with regard to the costs.” She presented the board’s published rental rates and said her calculations produced a significantly higher hourly total than the contract’s stated annual amount.

Board discussion focused on the math and on how the district calculated the $60,000 annual fee in the draft agreement. Director Malmberg described the district’s approach in constructing a negotiated annual number rather than charging separately for each hour in every space: “What I did was I took 6.5 hours and multiply it by the highest number which was the auditorium rate… That total to me was $59,280. So that’s where that round number of 60,000 came,” he said, also noting the contract places custodial responsibilities and some event staffing on the renter and that the district could terminate the agreement if standards were not met.

Trustees asked for clearer contractual language on exactly which rooms would be available at which hours, what dates would be reserved for district events (proms, musical weekends and other school needs), and how access would be provided. Board members also asked administration to confirm how the fees compare with the district’s standard facilities schedule and whether the district’s attorneys had reviewed the language. Administration answered that the contract had been reviewed by district counsel and said they would provide a more itemized breakdown of hours and room use as requested.

The board voted to approve the facility‑use agreement. The transcript records the motion being made by Director Malmberg and seconded by Director Viela; at final voice vote the motion carried, with recorded opposition and an abstention (tally not specified in the record). The contract language requires the renter to handle custodial duties for their use, pay additional training or tech fees as needed, and comply with district scheduling priorities that reserve school events ahead of outside use.

The board asked administration to return with a clearer schedule of rooms/hours and an itemized fee justification so the public and trustees can see how the annual sum was derived and which Sundays or event dates the district will block off for school use.

Provenance: The public comment urging recusal begins in the transcript at the speaker block beginning at 00:02:31 (Will Ruble). Board discussion explaining the fee calculation and the motion to approve appears during the agenda discussion beginning at roughly 01:17:44 and the final vote is recorded later in the meeting at about 01:36:57.