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Environmental Stewardship seeks more usable donation system after collecting $11,000 since 2017
Summary
Department staff said voluntary donations to support derelict-vessel prevention and habitat work total about $11,000 since the program's 2017 start. Staff proposed QR-code prompts and a cleaner landing page but said limited administrative bandwidth and a clunky point-and-pay system constrain expansion.
Katie Johnson of the Department of Environmental Stewardship told council that the department's voluntary donation page (established in 2017) has gathered roughly $11,000, most of it tagged to derelict-vessel prevention. Johnson described a low‑impact approach that emphasizes passive prompts at events and clear language that donations supplement, not replace, existing funding.
Staff emphasized transparency and internal controls: donation receipts go into a restricted cash account tied to environmental stewardship programs and are used for eligible projects only. The current point-and-pay interface is linked to permitting workflows, which makes the donation flow confusing for donors; staff recommended a clearer landing page, QR-code materials at outreach events and, if feasible, an alternate payment interface with treasurer and IT involvement.
Council members asked about tracking, tax deductibility and whether the donations compete with local nonprofits; staff said donations are restricted in county accounting (BARS number) and are tax-deductible for donors (with standard thresholds for documentation). Staff cautioned that a full fundraising program would require additional staff time and recommended keeping the effort modest and project-specific (for example, derelict-vessel removal) to maintain clarity with the public and avoid overlap with nonprofit partners.
No funding or policy action was taken; staff will continue incremental improvements to the donation landing page and QR-code materials and coordinate with treasurer and IT for possible interface changes.
