Staff presents draft outside‑agency donation policy to Oak Ridge council; funding tied to budget process

Kendall Moore, a city staff member, presented a draft outside‑agency donation policy to the council that would create a transparent application and ranking process for nonprofit or government entities seeking city funding.

Moore summarized eligibility criteria: applicants must be a nonprofit civic organization or governmental entity with at least two years of operation, must have a governing board, and must provide services open to all qualifying Oak Ridge residents. Applications would be publicly posted and reviewed using an evaluation and ranking tool tied to the city's strategic objectives. Final funding decisions, Moore said, would be made by the city council through the normal budget or council meeting processes and would run through contracting and legal review before acceptance.

A councilmember asked whether the draft is intended only as a template or for immediate implementation and whether applications would recur annually. Seaman recommended adopting the policy now so the city can use it when appropriate and said implementation timing could be decided during the budget season. Moore said the draft is roughly six pages long and that staff incorporated prior council feedback on transparency and low barriers to entry.

The presentation closed with Moore inviting feedback and noting mid‑year and year‑end financial and programmatic reporting would be required of funded organizations; the total funding amount and program start date would be determined through the budget process.

Sources: Presentation by Kendall Moore to the Oak Ridge City Council work session; councilmember questions recorded in the session transcript.