Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants Legal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves nonprofit grants but excludes outdoor recreation funding after AG-opinion concern
Summary
Council approved the city’s nonprofit grant allocations for 2025 but, after legal guidance referencing an Attorney General opinion, excluded a proposed $5,000 donation to Get Kids Outdoors for an outdoor fish-house program; Get Kids Outdoors’ representative urged the council the program is public and open to all.
The Crookston City Council approved a resolution allocating nonprofit grant funds for 2025 but removed a proposed $5,000 donation for an outdoor-recreation program after staff and the city attorney warned that an Attorney General opinion concerning donations to private recreational programs (cited in the record) raises legal risk.
Fred Carnell, representing Get Kids Outdoors, described the organization as a 501(c)(3) that provides outdoor activities with educational components for children and said the group is open to the public and has no membership. "Everything we do is public," Carnell told the council, describing prior successful grant applications to community-area funds and the Minnesota DNR.
City legal staff recounted the city’s inquiry to the attorney general’s office and shared a staff response saying the requested $5,000 donation "is likely not a public purpose" under precedent, although Minnesota Statute 471.12 (public recreation programs) may provide an exception if a program is statutorily authorized as public recreation. The city attorney advised the council he could not ethically recommend the donation but said the council could assume the risk and decide to approve it.
Councilors debated the legal risk and precedent of funding private recreation programs, noting special exemptions that allow some groups (for example, senior center programs) to receive public support. Several members voiced sympathy for the nonprofit’s mission but opted to remove the outdoor recreation item from the resolution to avoid potential liability or a finding by the attorney general.
The council approved the remainder of the nonprofit grant resolution (items identified as falling within recognized public-purpose authority) by roll call.
Next steps: Staff and the nonprofit may pursue alternative funding sources (community-area funds, DNR grants) or provide more documentation that a program fits the statutory public-recreation exception should the council revisit the matter.
