Forest Park council orders monthly ward spending reports, seeks policy on use of discretionary/award funds

Forest Park’s mayor and council on June 2 instructed staff to provide a monthly, itemized report of each councilmember’s ward (discretionary/award) funds and asked the city attorney to draft a formal policy clarifying permissible uses.

The action followed an extended council discussion prompted by Councilwoman James, who said she found discrepancies when checking her ward line‑item balances and asked for “true accountability” and a way to track donations and sponsorships. Finance staff demonstrated a template showing adopted budget, monthly totals, year‑to‑date totals and available budget; credits for donations and sponsorships will be recorded in the general ledger and reconciled to the reports.

Why it matters

Council ward funds are discretionary public dollars overseen by elected members. Without consistent reporting and a clear policy, council members said they sometimes lack certainty about what purchases or events ward funds can legally support.

What staff said

- Miss Robinson (senior staff accountant) said the monthly report will list each councilmember’s adopted budget, monthly totals, year‑to‑date totals and available budget and that donations/sponsorships will be recorded as credits following GAAP and will be reconciled to the financial statements.

- City Manager Ricky Clark said the reports will be produced for each ward and provided at the same time every month.

Legal guidance

- Attorney Matricardi explained that “award funds should only be used for things that are in relation to your official duties as council members” and that funds may not be used for purely private donations without a substantial benefit to the city. He proposed drafting a formal discretionary/award funds policy similar to policies other jurisdictions use, because many uses are evaluated case‑by‑case.

Debate over team banquets

The discussion included repeated attention to whether ward funds may pay for banquets celebrating youth rec teams. Council members and community members offered competing points:

- Councilman Gutierrez argued, “investing in our children, I think, is substantial benefit for our city,” and said hosting a team banquet in a city facility and calling it a city event would be permissible.

- Councilwoman James and others raised concerns about setting a precedent where many coaches could ask for ward funds for private banquets, and suggested Recreation & Leisure should provide standard team celebration services funded by program fees.

- Deputy Director Abby explained rec program fees run about $70–$90 per player depending on residency and timing; Recreation previously offered banquets but stopped because the scope did not meet parents’ expectations. Staff said they can develop a standard banquet offering funded from program revenues, with teams covering any additional cost beyond that standard.

Outcome and next steps

The council voted unanimously to adopt monthly ward reporting and to direct legal staff to update or draft a formal award/discretionary funds policy that will list permissible and impermissible uses and provide guidance for future requests. Finance will begin issuing the monthly reports to each councilmember; the attorney will present draft policy language to the governing body for adoption.

Ending

The action is procedural but responds to repeated council requests for transparency and to a specific example described by Councilwoman James. The policy draft and first monthly reports are expected to return to the council for consideration.