Caldwell Veterans Council asks city for $30,000 after outlining year of volunteer services

Terry Harrell, representing the Caldwell Veterans Council, told the Caldwell City Council that the volunteer-run organization provided a wide range of services last year — from emergency hotel rooms and vehicle repairs to weekly substance-abuse counseling and veteran-service officers who help file disability and survivor claims. Harrell said the council is entirely volunteer-operated and that 100% of its grants and donations go to operating costs and direct assistance.

Harrell outlined concrete results: volunteer distributions of food and gift cards, holiday meal deliveries (he said they delivered 564 meals this year), scholarships funded through donations (a $10,000 endowment that pays $1,000 annually), and casework that yielded substantial veteran benefit awards. He cited county-level statistics ("just a little over 15,000 veterans in Canyon County") and said the county’s veterans contribute about $224,000,000 annually to the local economy, a figure Harrell used to stress the return on supporting veteran services.

Harrell closed by asking the council to consider continuing a prior annual grant and to include a $30,000 appropriation in the upcoming budget to cover operating costs and improvements to the veterans hall.

Council members responded with praise and questions. Councilor Stottick, who said he has served on the veterans council since its start, called the group’s work "a great benefit" and urged colleagues to keep the council’s economic contribution in mind during budget deliberations. The mayor and other councilors thanked Harrell for the presentation and recognized volunteers in the audience.

Next steps: Harrell’s request will be considered during the city's budget process; no formal appropriation was adopted at this meeting.