Manitowoc committee backs standard operating procedure to govern donor-funded projects
Summary
Committee forwarded a new standard operating procedure requiring district oversight and board approval before donor-funded capital work begins, aiming to prevent past confusion on the municipal baseball complex and other projects.
The Finance & Facilities committee unanimously voted to forward a proposed standard operating procedure (SOP) to the full board that would formalize how outside organizations raise funds and participate in district capital projects.
Speaker 6 introduced the SOP as a step to ensure "clear, consistent, and transparent processes" that provide appropriate district oversight and financial accountability. The procedure requires that no capital improvement work begin without formal board approval and that all project costs be fully funded through designated district funds, private donations, or a combination of those sources.
Committee members said the SOP responds to multi-year confusion over the municipal baseball field project, where community groups and previous boards had different expectations about who would pay for elements such as turf, bleachers and signage. Speaker 4 noted the district lacked a formal method for accepting large donations and working with outside groups and praised the SOP as necessary to avoid repeating past problems.
Speaker 5 moved to accept the standard operating procedure as presented; Speaker 2 seconded and the committee voted to forward it to the full board for consideration. Members asked that the SOP remain flexible for future updates and include benchmarking from peer districts.
The committee directed staff to include the SOP on the full board agenda and to add opportunities for the public and local vendors to be considered in future RFPs and project-manager contracts.
