CRA tables $400,000 Boys and Girls Club MOU after members press for procurement safeguards

The Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency on Feb. 3 heard a request to execute a memorandum of understanding that would provide $400,000 over two years to the Boys and Girls Club of Bay County for youth programming, transportation and to support facility reconstruction in the Millville district. The proposal was introduced as Item 10 on the agenda and drew detailed questions from board members about process and documentation.

Why it matters: Board members said they support restoring after‑school services in Millville but sought explicit procurement language and a uniform policy for when the CRA may award funds outside a competitive process. The board voted to table the agreement so staff can bring back clarified contract language and a justification for a sole‑source approach.

Staff presented the MOU as a two‑year, quarterly‑payable agreement starting in fiscal 2026, intended to help the Boys and Girls Club continue services while it completes construction on a Millville facility damaged in Hurricane Michael. Henry Hill, who identified himself as “Hank” and as CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bay County, said the organization is currently serving children from temporary sites and described the need to return to its building. “We’re currently serving, like I said, like, 89 kids at the Margaret K. Lewis school,” Hill said, describing operational strain from using temporary locations and a drop in teenage participation.

Several board members pressed staff for specificity on the request and on precedent. One member said the usual practice is to issue an RFP so other nonprofits can compete, and urged adding explicit “sole source” justification language to the MOU packet so the board’s decision would be defensible. Staff and board members agreed to develop a policy clarifying when an RFP is required and when an exception is allowed. Hill told the board the organization has also been allocated a separate federal appropriation for building reconstruction and is working through HUD requirements to draw those funds down.

Outcome and next steps: Commissioner Lucas moved to table the MOU; the motion carried by roll call, 3 to 0. Staff committed to return to the board at the March 3 CRA meeting with revised MOU language that documents the sole‑source rationale and with recommended policy language governing when the CRA may proceed without an RFP.

What was not decided: The board did not vote on the substance of providing funds to the Boys and Girls Club. The meeting record notes the $400,000 figure, the two‑year schedule and that a separate roughly $1,000,000 federal appropriation exists for the site’s building work; timing and disbursement conditions are to be clarified in the revised packet.