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Council asks Gillespie Center for program-level costs after $10,000 annual request
Summary
The Gillespie Center asked Minnetrista City for $10,000 per year, citing program needs; council members pressed for program-level budgets and said any city support should be tied to specific senior services and included in the 2026 budget, not approved this year.
The Minnetrista City Council heard a request on June 16 from the Gillespie Center for $10,000 a year for 10 years to help fund senior programming, but council members asked the center to return with a detailed list of programs and their costs before the council will consider funding.
Rhonda Nelson, who addressed the council as the Gillespie Center’s director, said the center serves residents from Minnetrista and neighboring communities and that the requested funds would go to programming rather than building maintenance or salaries. “We are asking for $10,000,” Nelson said, adding that the center has expanded rentals and services and has worked to move from operating deficits toward sustainability.
Council Member Claudia Lacy, who serves as the council’s liaison to the center, strongly endorsed the center’s community role and highlighted programs such as meals, exercise classes and foot-care clinics. Lacy said the request represents a modest city contribution when viewed against the center’s community impact and urged support in the upcoming budget process.
Other council members raised questions about timing, precedent and financial need. Several members said they were uncomfortable committing to another long-term contract and asked whether Minnetrista has a formal policy for awarding ongoing grants to nonprofit organizations. One council member noted that state law allows cities to appropriate money for senior facilities, programs and services but said the council needed program-specific cost information to determine whether a city contribution meets statutory requirements.
Gillespie Center staff explained that deferred preventative maintenance has left little discretionary revenue for programming; staff said capital repairs (HVAC, exterior boards and repainting) have consumed funds the center had once set aside. Nelson offered to provide a program-by-program cost list and clarified that some recent rental income—an $80,000-per-year tenant—has improved operating revenue but has not eliminated maintenance obligations.
The council did not vote on funding. Members generally indicated they would prefer to consider any contribution as part of the 2026 budget cycle rather than allocate city money in 2025, and they asked the center to return with a clear statement of which programs the city contribution would support and the associated costs. Mayor Lisa Whan and staff advised against a 10‑year commitment without firmer program-level justification and suggested any agreement be time-limited or conditional.
Next steps: the Gillespie Center will provide the council with a list of senior-targeted programs and estimated costs; staff indicated the council will review that information during the 2026 budget process rather than make a mid-year appropriation.
