Council committee sends Quest Center funding question to full council after debate over unpaid invoices and Vineyard Wind grant

The New Bedford Committee on Finance debated a mayoral request to increase the Quest Center revolving fund for fiscal 2025, heard managers describe about $14,700 in unpaid invoices and impending utility bills, and referred the matter to the full City Council with an amended funding figure of $200,000.

Chair Linda Morad, councilor at large, opened the discussion after the clerk read a communication from Mayor Mitchell asking that the Quest Center revolving fund be increased from $150,231 to $238,000 for FY2025 under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 44, section 53E½.

The request prompted a detailed fiscal update from Jen Viera, who said the Quest Center had "a balance of a thousand $36 as of today" and that "I have approximately $14,700 in invoices that need to be paid, that does not include gas and electric for May." She told the committee her oldest outstanding invoice dated to Feb. 13. City accounting staff member Robert (Bob) Ekstrom provided a…