In awarding funds to nonprofits for 2025, the Warsaw Common Council, by consensus, determined Monday night to keep the same parameters as 2024.
Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins presented all the council members with the parameters they used in 2023 for the 2024 budget year for not-for-profit contracts.
“If you recall, we did change things up a little bit because we were getting an abundance of different applications, and it was getting to the point where we weren’t confident, perhaps, that we were making the best use of the taxpayer money,” she said. “So Mayor (Joe) Thallemer kind of skinnied it down to services that the city needs but we find it pretty much not cost-effective for us to try to provide those services.”
She said one that is most noticeable is the animal control.
“For us to try to put on a department, have a building, employees and everything, it would be very, very costly and at this point it is much more cost effective for us to contract with the Animal Welfare League to provide those services. Same with the others, like victims of domestic violence,” Dobbins said.
Years ago, the city and the county each employed a person that dealt with domestic violence, with some of their salaries paid through grants. There were also many volunteer victim advocates. However, over the years, as parameters changed and there were liability issues, Dobbins said it become wise for the city to work with The Beaman Home to provide some of those services.
“So what you have in front of you is a listing of the types of services that we had decided upon last year that we would fund,” she said.
That list includes public transportation services, animal control services, environmental protection of local lakes and streams, domestic violence victims assistance, rental assistance programs and critical repairs for housing deemed affordable and Warsaw Main Street programs support.
She said in talking with Mayor Jeff Grose, they were OK with keeping the same parameters for nonprofit funding for 2025 as 2024.
Grose said, “There’s been great effort by the council to make sure that we support nonprofit activity. I just think that, as a former council member, the efforts have been very good and wise, and I like the idea now that we’re focusing on nonprofit services, like Cindy said, that we are not providing.”
Dobbins said nonprofits have until July 15 to turn in applications. Grose’s office will send out applications to those that have been funded in the past. She said there might be other organizations that might come and ask the city for funding.
Councilwoman Diane Quance mentioned the city awarded some organizations with funding from the city’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act, but that will be coming to an end.
Council President Jack Wilhite said the city has a little over $26,000 left and they have an applicant for ARPA funding.
Quance also asked reports that nonprofits are supposed to provide that detail how the city’s funding was used. Dobbins said reports for 2023 were due in March 2024 and some of them have came in. Quance said that was one thing they need to emphasize.
While no vote was taken on using the same parameters for 2025 funding as 2024, all five council members present gave their consent. Councilmen Josh Finch and Mike Klondaris were absent.
In other business, the council approved a transfer of $20,000 in the council’s budget as requested by the IT Governance Committee. The funds will be used for server network equipment to be better prepared for a crisis situation.