Council could impose stricter guidelines for city donations

BARSTOW • Residents, non-profit agencies, sports programs and school clubs may find tougher requirements to obtain funds and services from the city.

The Barstow City Council will consider establishing a policy Monday for people who seek donations from the Community Promotional Fund. City staff is requesting that the Council solicit fund applications from organizations and the community all at one time annually, according to Community Services Director Jeanette Hayhurst. The amount of money awarded could also change, she wrote in an e-mail Friday.

In order to receive a donation, organizations and residents may have to provide proof to the City Council that Barstow will not be the sole source of funds or services. They may also have to submit reports on what the funds will be used for and how they were ultimately spent.

If organizations or individuals solicit funds on behalf of the Barstow Unified School District or Barstow Community College, they may have to bring written approval from the Board of Trustees, the superintendent or college president.

According to city officials, this is part of a policy that was already written, but has no effective date and may not have been formally enacted by the City Council. The Council could adopt this policy Monday.

According to Hayhurst, past Councils have not required written proof that the city isn’t the sole provider of funds nor have they required that organizations and individuals to provide written spending reports.

“The Council may require documentation or this requirement may be eliminated,” Hayhurst said. “If this requirement is enforced, the Council could deny future requests for recipients that did not comply.”

Organizations are currently able to request $500 from the Community Promotional Fund. Individuals are able to request $250. This year the fund’s budget was $7,300. The Council currently considers donation requests on a case-by-case basis.

At recent meetings, Councilmembers were concerned about the lack of consistency in how the Community Promotional Funds were awarded. The Council was also concerned that those who applied for a donation too late would be denied due to lack of funds.

The Barstow City Council meets 7:30 Monday in City Council Chambers at 220 East Mountain View Street. Agendas are available on the city’s Web site at www.barstowca.org.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or jcejnar@desertdispatch.com