Summit County Manager Tom Fisher recently sent out some bad news to local non-profits.
Fisher said that for the 2019 budget, he is not recommending funding for any grant applications they have received—since the county is granting a quarter of a million dollars to the Children’s Justice Center.
The letter went out to 17 non-profits—including KPCW.
Fisher’s letter went out shortly after the 2019 budget was first presented to County Council.
He wrote that traditionally; the council has granted up to $100,00 a year for non-profits. But the county granted $250,000 this year for the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, to help them purchase a new site for the Center.
Fisher wrote he felt it was responsible to pause the non-profit grants next year, so other county programs would not be cut. He added, “I realize that not all will agree with my recommendation, but I wanted you to hear it from me first.”
We asked some of the non-profits to comment on the decision. Cheryl Fox, the director of the Summit Land Conservancy, was empathetic. She said in an e-mail that her group has to seize opportunities when they have them. Fox said this is a similar situation for the Children’s Justice Center, with an opportunity they’ve been looking for, for a long time.
The group ReLeaf, which deals with tree and forest stewardship, made the largest grant request. In an e-mail to KPCW, representative Jason Barto said they are extremely disappointed, and hope the county will reconsider. He noted that trees, “clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink and provide numerous health benefits.”
Another group was The Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, which asked for funding to stabilize old mining structures in the area. Replying for that group was Sally Elliott, a former Park City Council Member, County Commissioner and County Council member. She wrote that while she’s disappointed, she understands the difficulty of having too little money to spend on too many worthy projects.
She said she fully supports the mission of acquiring a new property for the Justice Center.
Elliott did add that they received only a $10,000 Restaurant Tax grant this summer. She wrote that while they’re grateful, it is a significant decrease from what they’ve received in the past. She said they were shocked, surprised, and found the grant decision inexplicable. Elliot said she hopes the County Council will provide some guidance to the Restaurant Tax Advisory Committee.
From the CONNECT organization, Lynne Rutan said they didn’t have a comment at this time, except that they understand this is a proposal, not a final decision.
Fisher’s letter noted that the budget will be discussed several times in the next month and a half and the final hearing on the budget is set from December 12th.
