Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Nonprofit Funding Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council largely backs manager recommendations for nonprofit grants; one member objects to Sears Island funding
Summary
At the June 25 workshop the manager presented funding requests across social services and promotional categories; councilors generally accepted the manager's recommendations for small nonprofit grants but one member said they would not support Friends of Sears Island funding.
At its June 25, 2024 budget workshop, the City Council reviewed scores of social-service and promotional funding requests and the city manager's recommendations for the coming fiscal year.
City Manager Herbig read prior-year appropriations, current requests, and the manager's suggested awards for dozens of organizations. Examples included a request from Belfast Area Childcare for $20,000 with a manager recommendation of $12,500, Belfast Public Health Nursing requesting $27,500 (manager recommended $25,000), and Northport Food Pantry requesting $7,500 (manager recommended $6,000).
Many items were discussed as consent-like allocations, with councilors saying "good with that" on routine entries such as Habitat for Humanity, the soup kitchen, senior center support items and festival promotionals. Herbig described the city’s approach as allocating limited discretionary funding to community services that fall “outside of the wheelhouse” of direct municipal operations.
A council member objected to a recommendation for Friends of Sears Island, saying they would not vote to support that request and questioning whether the group's activities met the city's economic-development or promotional criteria. Another council member pushed back that the group's membership and programs largely serve Belfast residents.
On promotional requests, the Chamber of Commerce sought $30,000 and the manager recommended $27,500; Belfast Community Radio requested $15,000 and the manager recommended $12,000 after noting improved bookkeeping. Councilors discussed whether to fund items at the full request level or at the manager-recommended amounts.
What happens next: the manager said these items would remain part of the budget packet as staff revisits revenue and expense numbers; the council did not adopt final appropriations at the June 25 workshop but generally signaled support for most of the manager’s recommendations.
Note: dollar amounts above are taken from the manager’s presentation during the June 25 workshop.
