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Finance committee recommends adding Coffee Bank to utility payment options and forwards draft nonprofit-appropriation policy to full board
Summary
The Finance Committee voted to add Coffee Bank as a utility-bill payment option for water and sewer customers and forwarded a proposed charitable-donations/nonprofit appropriation policy that would set a working cap of 3% of budgeted property-tax revenue for nonprofit appropriations to the full board for adoption.
Finance staff proposed adding Coffee Bank as an option for utility-bill payments for water and sewer customers. The committee approved adding the bank; staff said adding the payment option requires opening a checking account at that institution and adding the same four authorized signers used at the other banking locations (the mayor, the vice mayor, the finance director and the city clerk/administrator).
The committee also reviewed a proposed charitable-donations and nonprofit-appropriation policy that staff drafted by adapting a model from MTAS and the city’s recent practice. The draft sets a working cap of no more than 3% of budgeted property-tax revenue for nonprofit appropriations and includes an application timeline running from Jan. 1 to March 31 each year. Staff presented historical context: nonprofit appropriations as a share of property-tax revenue were 7.56% in 2022, 6.01% in 2023, 5.27% in 2024 and 4.74% in the current 2025 budget year. Staff provided illustrative per-tax-bill equivalents: 3% equals about $26.31 per tax bill; 4% about $35.08; 5% about $43.85.
Committee members discussed the trade-offs and maintenance-of-effort commitments (e.g., library support, chamber dues) that reduce available discretionary funds. The committee voted to forward the proposed policy and application process to the full board for consideration during the budget season.
