Emporia city commissioners began the task of creating the fiscal year 2011 budget by hearing special requests for funding from the city’s special alcohol fund. And one of the questions they’ll wrestle with is how to balance the needs of agencies with a desire to keep a reserve in the account.
The fund comes from a 10 percent tax on gross receipts of sales of liquor by private clubs. A portion of the taxes collected in Emporia are returned to the city by the state. Under statute, one-third of the monies received by the city must go into a special fund and be used for alcohol and drug abuse prevention, education and treatment programs.
During their Thursday study session, commissioners heard requests from five agencies or organizations, three of which have received funding before. The five requests, which totaled $125,400, were:
- $45,000 from Mental Health Center of East Central Kansas
- $40,000 from Corner House
- $5,400 from Emporia State University Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention program
- $20,000 from Emporia Public Schools for YouthFriends
- $15,000 from Path to Recovery.
The requests from the mental health center and Corner House asked for more money than in FY2010. Corner House asked for $15,000 more than last year to account for state funding that was cut. The mental health center planned to request $35,000, the amount awarded last year, said director Bill Persinger, but City Manager Matt Zimmerman suggested trying to get back to 2008 and 2009 funding levels, which was $44,500.
The request from ESU matched the amount awarded each year since 2007, said director Donna Drake. But, she told commissioners, she’d like to use it differently — to create a work-study position for the Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol, or GAMMA, program.
YouthFriends, a mentoring program aimed at at-risk children in the Emporia school system, would be a new recipient, and some commissioners questioned whether it qualified as a fundable program.
“It’s a stretch, to be sure,” Zimmerman said. “One argument is that by keeping young kids engaged ... you keep them off alcohol and drugs.”
The request from Path to Recovery brought some concerns because Path to Recovery is a private, for-profit company. According to executive director Shelley Wright, the company opened last October to provide outpatient treatment and adolescent treatment for chemical dependency as well as offering alcohol and drug information school and performing alcohol and drug evaluations. The company receives no state funding and is waiting on action for its application to be a Medicaid provider.
“Are we allowed to subsidize a for-profit company out of this fund?” asked Commissioner Jeff Longbine. “One, is it allowed or, two, is it politically the right thing to do?”
Zimmerman said he planned to research the legal question, but wanted commissioners to hear proposals from all groups who applied.
The larger issue for commissioners, however, was whether the alcohol fund would support the full amount of funding requests. If commissioners approve all five requests in their entirety, the fund would be spent down to a four-month reserve. Commissioners in the past have preferred to keep a 12-month reserve in the account.
A different special fund request came from Betty Senn, director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Senn asked for an increase of $17,000 from $358,000 last fiscal year to $375,000 in the coming year. CVB funds come from the Emporia hotel tax.
The CVB’s role is to market Emporia, which includes placing advertisements in different media as well as giving grants to organizations bringing events to town. The staff also answers requests from visitors, whether organizations or individuals, and sends information, in addition to organizing events to bring visitors to the city.
The requests were an initial step in the budget process and will be taken up later for action.
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
A suggestion for our city commissioners.
Liquor receipts are down.
Smoking ban?
Economy?
Healthier lifestyles?
It doesn't matter, just don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Corner House o.k.
Mental health center o.k.
Drop ESU program.
Drop Youth Friends (new name for DARE)?
Don't even think about a for profit business.
And sorry Betty, instead of more advertising money for the CVB the commissioners should put that $17,000 a year into an account to pay for a passenger kiosk for our new rail stop that will actually bring people into Emporia.
May 28, 2010 at 3:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
You go, Steve, especially Drop Youth Friends.
Me too. Sorry Betty. You people spent 10 grand on one magazine ad which was absolutely ludicrous. That's your increase for the year. You already spent it. What did you do with your $358 grand last year?
I agree about saving that money for a passenger terminal for down the road, the rail road.
Can the public trough ever just sit there and gain some interest for a change? Does everyone just have to gobble it all up at once?
May 28, 2010 at 3:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Way to go Zimmerman, no wonder the City spends more than it recieves.
May 28, 2010 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tbluma (anonymous) says...
I agree with Steve, but I'd take it one step further.
No increases for anything and find some more to cut.
May 28, 2010 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
What I don' t understand is, the fact that all tax revenue receipts are down and yet its the same old story. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, spend, spend, spend and then wonder why in the hell the budget can' t be balanced and the tax payers are so " NEGATIVE " . I wonder if the businessmen who are serving as City Commissioners would be able to run their business as they apparently want to run the City, at a deficit rather than a balanced, balance sheet or spending more than the business receives in revenue. What are the chances a business will/would survive, if the business had to raise its prices all the time ?
May 28, 2010 at 7:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mslater (Matt Slater) says...
Just say no!
May 28, 2010 at 10:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
msw2003 (anonymous) says...
What if the Paths to Recovery used the money to provide services to individuals who don't have insurance and/or can't afford the cash rate of treatment? Provide services with these funds probono and be able to document this is what they did with the money. Everyone should be afforded a choice of where to get treatment. Since Emporia is a small town options are limited. Wouldn't you want more than one or two options of where you could go to get help despite being on a limited income?
May 30, 2010 at 10:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
msw2003,
You have our present president and congress to take care of health care for all of us.
May 30, 2010 at 12:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
msw2003,
Thanks for helping bring my blood pressure up, I was feeling a little sluggish.
Your question:
"Wouldn't you want more than one or two options of where you could go to get help despite being on a limited income?"
My Answer: For all of my adult life I have wanted to own and drive a Jaguar automobile. Being on a limited income I drive a Chevy Equinox.
You could use the British Health Care System as an example of pro-bono care, paid for by taxpayers, but that system does NOT allow the choice of where or who gives the treatment.
If Path to Recovery wants to use tax funds for services they should become a 501c_3 not for profit organization
May 30, 2010 at 1 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Nothing wrong with Profit Organization but why do we need to fund a newby when agencies already on the ground are doing similar things?
Edward McKernan
May 30, 2010 at 9:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Incoming funds are down, outgoing funds should be as well.
No way should they give a dime of the fund proceeds to a "for profit" agency for services offered, nor for any other reason offered.
May 31, 2010 at 8:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tbluma (anonymous) says...
Did any one notice Longbine's second question about Paths request?
He wanted to know if it was politically the right thing to do.
That my friends is what is wrong with the USA today.
It's not what is right or wrong, legal or illegal. All that matters is political correctness. geeeez
May 31, 2010 at 12:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )