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Belvidere adopts donation policy letting department heads accept gifts under $500; council will review larger gifts
Summary
Council approved Resolution 2025‑11 allowing the mayor and department heads to accept donations up to $500 without prior council approval, keeping gifts above $500 subject to council review; members asked whether the $500 cap resets annually or applies per donor and staff said no per‑donor cap is written into the policy.
The Belvidere City Council on July 21 adopted Resolution 2025‑11, a citywide donation policy that permits the mayor and department heads (or their designees) to accept donations of $500 or less without prior approval from the corporate authorities; donations exceeding $500 must be approved by council.
Alderman Berdan asked whether surrounding communities use similar policies and whether the $500 maximum is an annual cap or a per‑donor cap. A staff member responding for the administration said he was not aware of identical policies in neighboring communities and that the resolution as written does not include a per‑donor cap. The staff member said finance staff and department officers would monitor electronic donations and flag repeated use of the same credit card or donor name for further review.
A city staff member described the policy as intended to modernize donation acceptance where quick electronic payments (for example via QR code at a police K‑9 demonstration) occur and to avoid requiring the council to accept every small payment by formal vote. The policy also requires that donations be placed in the city general fund unless the donor specifies and the council otherwise directs the funds to a designated purpose.
Council voted on the resolution; the roll call recorded nine votes in favor and one against (one alderman cast a “no”). The vote means the city will now process small electronic donations administratively while retaining oversight for larger gifts.
At the same meeting council later accepted a $501 check from Myers Kennel for the police K‑9 program; aldermen noted that $501 exceeds the $500 threshold and asked about procedure before that acceptance vote took place.
