For many years, the Hollister City Council has allocated
taxpayer funds on an annual basis to local nonprofits. That could
change soon as the city faces a downward financial spiral while
trends show a debt within two or three years.
For many years, the Hollister City Council has allocated taxpayer funds on an annual basis to local nonprofits. That could change soon as the city faces a downward financial spiral while trends show a debt within two or three years.
Hollister council members at their budget hearing meeting this week discussed the possibility of postponing the annual payments, which totaled $47,500 during the current fiscal year that ends June 30. This past year, the city donated to the local ombudsman program, Senior Legal Services, the Seniors Council, a suicide prevention program, Emmaus House and the Hollister Youth Alliance, City Manager Clint Quilter said.
A couple of those groups at Wednesday’s hearing – Emmaus House and the youth alliance – asked for more money in 2010-11.
Two council members responded by indicating they might be leaning toward allocating no funds to nonprofits as officials put together a budget.
Mayor Victor Gomez following the meeting stressed how the city is facing “some pretty deep cuts in other areas.”
“How can we be subsidizing certain programs, even though I believe they’re very important programs, when we’re going to see some pretty big cuts in public safety and other areas as well?”
Gomez prefers more of a “freeze” scenario under which the city would consider re-implementing the allocations at some point.
Councilman Ray Friend had a similar stance. Additionally, he contended the proposed 12.5 percent reduction is not “deep enough” as it stands.
“The nonprofits do a great job and they’re excellent people,” Friend told the Free Lance. “But if we’re laying off police officers and we’re funding nonprofits, I think we’ve lost focus here.”
He pointed out positions that are on the table such as a fire captain and at least two police officers.
“Right now, this early in the game, I don’t think we should even be considering what to do with nonprofits,” Friend said.
One other council member, Doug Emerson, suggested the city consider cutting back the nonprofit allocations at the same rate as the proposed 12.5 percent citywide reduction. It’s the same direction council members took last year when they reduced the nonprofit donations by 5 percent – Hollister workers had accepted the same cut – from a total of $50,000.
It was largely unclear where Councilwoman Eugenia Sanchez stands on the issue, and Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia indicated she might consider a cutback or postponement.
Either scenario would hurt the finances at the Emmaus House, which asked for an increase from $6,500 to $15,000 this year. Executive Director Mary Lou Coffelt said it was due to an increase in the need for services at the shelter for domestic violence victims. She called the combination of increased need and the poor economy a “double-edge sword” for Emmaus House.
“We’re hoping the city council will consider, even with their own crisis, a little bit more generous of a contribution to our services,” she said.
She called the organization “critical to city services” and she mentioned how many of the women there are homeless.
Coffelt said the city donation is “not significant” when compared with the annual operating budget, which she declined to disclose.
“We do appreciate what our city council attempts to do and their situation right now,” she said. “We do have an increased need and we’re hoping they’ll be able to step up to it.”
