City of Lawrence
Social Service Funding Advisory Board Meeting
May 22, 2018 Minutes
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MEMBERS PRESENT: |
Burdett Loomis, Ranelle Fischer, Alice Lieberman, Steven Davis, Galenea Miller, Lea Roselyn
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MEMBERS ABSENT: |
None
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STAFF PRESENT: |
Casey Toomay, Assistant City Manager; Danielle Buschkoetter, Strategic Projects Manager
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PUBLIC PRESENT: |
None |
Call to Order
Loomis called the meeting to order at 10:11am.
Approve Minutes
A motion to approve minutes as corrected from May 17, 2018 was made by Davis and seconded by Fischer. The motion passed 6-0.
Funding Recommendations
The Board reviewed the responses from agencies regarding the Board’s follow-up questions. Davis noted that while the responses were helpful some of the comments were still vague and he wished to see more detail in the applications and responses in the future.
The Board noted that Big Brothers Big Sisters did not submit a response but also acknowledged the short timeline.
The Board decided to review Special Alcohol Funds first. Davis noted that these funds must be tied to Charter Ordinance 33. Roselyn added that she believed that the Board needed to be cognizant of the special alcohol purpose and if programs did not align with the intent of the funds, they should be moved to a general fund request.
Roselyn added that the Boys and Girls Club is providing a great service to the community but that it does not directly tie to the intent of special alcohol purposes, so it may make sense to decrease their special alcohol funding but increase the general fund recommendation.
Loomis noted that they interact and serve a number of different families across the community and that prevention is part of the intent of the funds, which they are more than like doing through providing this service in an indirect way.
The Board noted that the DCCCA First Step application wanted additional funds to make a part-time staff member full-time and they were not comfortable with increasing funds for that purpose when they are recommending reductions to almost all other agencies.
Lieberman suggested a slight increase to recognize the increase in personnel costs. Miller noted that nearly everyone is seeing a cut compared to the 2018 budget and she thought that should be consistent across all agencies.
Davis noted that the DCCCA outpatient request is closely tied to the intention of the special alcohol funds. Loomis recommended the Board keep their funding at the same level as last year.
The Board discussed Heartland Medical Clinic and hoped that the email response to the Board’s questions would have included more details. The Board added that they had the same comments on the application but noted that the clientele Heartland serve are more important and that there are not many other options for people that need their services in the community.
The Board noted Hearthstone is directly linked to the intent of the funds and that their request should be fully funded.
The Board wanted some more details about Willow and the stated goals of the funds. They were also concerned with full funding for the program coming from the City as the requests continue to grow.
A motion to recommend the following funding levels to the City Commission for Special Alcohol Funds was made by Davis and seconded by Lieberman. The motion passed 5-1 with Miller in opposition.
Miller noted that she believed that every agency should either remain flat or see a slight decrease to their funding over 2018.
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Name of Agency |
2018 Budget |
2019 Requested |
Board Recommendation |
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Bert Nash Mental Health Center |
$299,000 |
$336,851 |
$298,000 |
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Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence |
98,000 |
120,000 |
90,000 |
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DCCCA First Steps |
38,000 |
84,504 |
40,000 |
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DCCCA Outpatient |
94,000 |
105,162 |
94,000 |
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Heartland Medical Clinic |
91,500 |
127,800 |
86,000 |
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Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters |
9,000 |
15,000 |
9,000 |
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KU on Wheels |
- |
5,000 |
- |
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Lawrence Alcoholic Recovery House |
7,500 |
8,000 |
8,000 |
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Lawrence Community Shelter |
84,000 |
165,000 |
84,000 |
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The Willow Domestic Violence Center |
17,000 |
38,586 |
14,000 |
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Van Go, Inc. |
26,500 |
33,000 |
27,000 |
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Total |
$764,500 |
$1,038,903 |
$750,000 |
The Board took a five (5) minute recess.
The Board then reviewed General Fund requests. The Board was supportive of the homeless outreach program that Bert Nash requested funds for and recommended increasing funding over 2018.
The Board noted that the Ballard Center is one of the few agencies requesting funds that is located in North Lawrence and provides services that are not duplicated by other agencies.
The Board decided to keep the funding level for Just Food flat and wanted to see them work closely with the Lawrence Community Shelter. They added that Just Food has the ability to fundraise and bring in funds through a variety of means.
The Board recognized that the Lawrence Community Food Alliance was providing a great service in the community but found it difficult to recommend funding given the requested needs.
The Board outlined that they wanted to increase funding for the Lawrence Community Shelter because there is a great need for their services.
The Board added that the Senior Resource Center’s request was difficult to recommend funding for because there are other services that provide transportation for seniors.
A motion to recommend the following funding levels to the City Commission for the use of General Funds was made by Lieberman and seconded by Fischer. The motion passed 6-0.
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Name of Agency |
2018 Budget |
2019 Requested |
Board Recommendation |
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Bert Nash Mental Health Center |
$144,000 |
$180,281 |
$160,000 |
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Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence |
116,000 |
130,000 |
121,000 |
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Communities in Schools of Mid-America |
6,000 |
12,000 |
6,000 |
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Douglas County CASA |
22,000 |
25,000 |
24,000 |
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Douglas County Child Development Association dba Positive Bright Start |
- |
25,000 |
11,000 |
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Douglas County Dental Clinic |
15,000 |
15,000 |
15,000 |
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Elizabeth B Ballard Community Services |
- |
50,400 |
30,000 |
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Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. |
17,000 |
21,840 |
18,000 |
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Just Food of Douglas County |
10,000 |
25,000 |
10,000 |
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Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters |
17,800 |
28,000 |
18,000 |
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Lawrence Community Food Alliance |
7,500 |
50,000 |
- |
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Lawrence Arts Center |
- |
30,000 |
- |
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Lawrence Community Shelter |
100,000 |
199,000 |
111,000 |
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Senior Resource Center for Douglas County, Inc. |
- |
45,950 |
- |
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The Salvation Army of Douglas County-Pathway of Hope |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
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The Salvation Army of Douglas County-Bus Passes |
6,000 |
6,000 |
6,000 |
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The Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center |
8,200 |
8,200 |
9,000 |
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The Shelter, Inc. dba The Children’s Shelter |
28,500 |
32,000 |
30,000 |
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The Willow Domestic Violence Center |
6,000 |
9,000 |
6,000 |
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Van Go, Inc. |
29,500 |
31,890 |
30,000 |
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Warm Hearts of Douglas County |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
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Total |
$543,500 |
$934,561 |
$615,000 |
Next Meeting—August 2018
The Board will meet in August to discuss potential consolidation with the Community Development Advisory Committee.
Public Comment
Loomis called for public comment, no public comment was given.
Adjourn
A motion to adjourn was made by Lieberman and seconded by Fischer. The motion passed 6-0.