Public-safety foundation eyes a signature item — village would purchase, foundation reimburse

Village staff and Chief Lawson presented a prioritized list of items the new public-safety foundation could use to rally donors, saying the foundation typically prefers one high-profile project to lead fundraising. The lead item identified by staff and discussed by trustees was a rescue boat tailored to local conditions; staff said the boat must be sized for Lake Michigan conditions, be towable by village vehicles and usable by public-safety divers.

Staff explained the mechanics: the village would purchase items (for example, the boat) and the foundation would reimburse the village under the village's donation policy. Trustees and at least one foundation board member said donors can designate gifts; staff said the village will maintain check-in points for acceptance and return any proposals that raise conflicts to the board for resolution.

Other items on the prioritized list included vehicle and equipment purchases and an employee scholarship fund; the fire truck was discussed as a larger, longer-term fundraising goal. Staff stressed that the list is advisory and will be used by the foundation when soliciting donations; any significant gift would still come back to the board for final acceptance in accordance with the village's donation policy.

Next steps: staff will make the prioritized list available to the foundation and the village will follow the donation-policy checkpoints for any submitted gifts; individual donations will return to the board for acceptance and any reimbursement arrangements will be handled through ordinary procurement and approval processes.