Council tables discretionary donation request for youth theater while staff drafts grant process

GUNNISON — A request for a city contribution to a youth theater program run by a councilmember's family member prompted council discussion about the appropriate use of discretionary funds and compliance with state restrictions.

At the Feb. 18 meeting, Stella Yelp described the program and asked the council to consider a donation similar to prior years. "She was just gonna ask for a donation again from the city as we have before," Stella Yelp said.

City staff cautioned that municipalities generally cannot give gifts to private individuals or entities except under statutory exceptions, and recommended formalizing the city's discretionary contributions through a grant program with clear eligibility criteria and public application periods. "We have a discretionary contributions line ... but it may be more appropriate if we're gonna have this discretionary fund that we establish some parameters," Dennis said.

Council discussed placing the support in an existing youth-council or economic development fund, and whether youth council members had previously helped decide those distributions (staff said they had not). After brief discussion, Councilmember Brian Nelson moved to table the item; Paul Child seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Action taken: The council voted to table the request and asked staff to draft a policy/process for discretionary contributions and return the item to a future agenda for formal consideration.

What happens next: Staff will draft a discretionary contributions/grant policy with eligibility criteria, public application procedures and conflict-of-interest safeguards and present it to council for review.