There are more than 120 nonprofits in Park City, and several partner with the city government to provide services to residents.
“Mountain Trails [Foundation] is a great example, because they groom all of our trails,” Park City Mayor Nann Worel said. “If they weren’t there to do that for us, we’d have to add that department. So it’s much more cost efficient for everyone to have Mountain Trails out there, and they’re such a great partner of the city.”
Other city-supported services include the Christian Center’s food assistance program, and People’s Health Clinic, which serves the uninsured population.
Park City has budgeted $620,000 for public service contracts annually. The city council has final say over how that money is distributed.
Currently applications from nonprofits for funding are scored and presented to the council by City Hall employees.
Worel said the city plans to change the process, and increase the duration of nonprofit contracts.
“We’re trying to make several of them a four-year contract, instead of having to come back in every two years,” the mayor said. “I sat on the nonprofit side, I ran one for several years, so I’m well familiar with both sides of the process… the stability that it gives nonprofits to know that they have a four-year contract. We also wanted to increase the transparency of the process, and so we’re going to form a new city board.”
Members of the Nonprofit Services Advisory Committee would be appointed by the city council. The board would be tasked with creating and evaluating proposal criteria from nonprofits, interviewing applicants, and providing funding recommendations to the council.
According to a staff report, the new committee would likely be formed this fall. It requires final approval by the city council.
Note: KPCW received $35,000 from Park City Municipal as part of a 2024 public service contract, for a bilingual reporter to translate news into Spanish.
