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University City council debates dispersal of $154,000 in Calip funds, with push for $50,000 scholarship
Summary
Councilors discussed how to wrap up the defunct Calip commission's remaining funds (about $154,000), including a recommendation to set aside $50,000 as an endowed high-school scholarship and a proposal to use an application process and matching requirements for remaining grants.
University City councilors spent a lengthy segment of the Jan. 26 meeting discussing how to distribute roughly $154,000 remaining in the city's defunct Calip fund, including whether to reserve $50,000 for an endowed high-school scholarship and how to structure an application process for the remainder.
The discussion opened when City Manager Gregory Rose asked the council for direction on whether to follow final Calip minutes and recommendations when closing the commission's accounts. Rick Rutder, who said he was the last president of Calip, told councilors the commission had recommended setting aside $50,000 for a long-term scholarship and expressed surprise that earlier staff had believed only $58,000 remained. "Had we known that there was 154, it would have never been closed up," Rutder said, adding that the scholarship paperwork had been prepared and that Calip intended the funds for video/film-related awards tied to the commission's original purpose.
Council members debated next steps. Council Member Smotherson said Calip's last recommendation was to donate $50,000 to a high-school fund and suggested the council act on that item; several council members, including Briner, Clay and McMahon, said they were open to moving the scholarship forward but also wanted the rest of the funds to go through a formal application process so the city can weigh original intent and matching contributions.
"I would think making them go through a process again would be frustrating," Council Member Briner said of the scholarship applicant, but she and others agreed that the council should decide the final disposition rather than let funds sit. Council Member McMahon recommended the application include a statement of Calip's original intent and encourage matching funding to reduce the risk that grants are entirely city-funded and then not completed.
City staff told the council the remaining Calip corpus is approximately $154,000. The council did not take a final vote on the distribution that night; members directed staff to circulate the draft application and incorporate Calip's stated purpose and suggested safeguards such as matching funds and limitations on corporate recipients. Rutder urged the city to limit awards to projects or individuals that demonstrate additional funding and to avoid one-off awards that cannot be sustained.
Next steps: staff will refine the draft application, including language about Calip's original intent and recommended matching requirements, and present it to council for final action. Council members said they want the $50,000 scholarship recommendation resolved promptly but indicated the council may require the school district or prospective scholarship administrators to complete an application or brief the council before funds are disbursed.
