by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
It began with a full house at Tuesday’s meeting of the Public Service Grant Council (PSGC). The seats began to empty later as the body approved line-by-line the proposed fiscal year 2009-10 City-funded appropriations based on requests from more than 60 agencies and a projected amount of available funds based on the City’s FY 2009-10 budget for Public Service Grants.
Fifty-six grants totaling $2,498,565 were approved. The appropriations ranged from a high of $196,355 to Fresh Ministries for “core city economic development” to as low as $6,213 for Angelwood, Inc.’s Sidesaddle Group Home.
Each request was evaluated by the seven-member council based on the type of service provided, site visits and performance.
Before the line item votes began, some programs were excluded from funding and some long-standing procedures regarding Public Service Grants were discussed and approved for possible amendment.
One of the items that will not receive Public Service Grant funds is the Art in Public Places (APP) program administered by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. Funding for APP was created by ordinance in 1997 and sets aside .75 percent of the construction cost for every new City building for the purchase, installation and maintenance of the City’s public art. Since its inception, nearly $3 million has been generated for the program.
The Cultural Council requested $55,095 in funding for APP for FY 2009-10 which was not approved.
Cultural Council Executive Director Robert Arleigh White said when the ordinance was created, the legislation didn’t take into account the number of APP installations the law would create.
“The original ordinance anticipated a series of small projects over a long period of time, but what we have is a very robust program,” he said referring to the current inventory of 27 installations, the majority of which are located outdoors. A portion of the APP budget is for maintenance of the art.
When PSGC member Ron Mallett suggested the program might be better funded through the Public Works Department, White commented that as in the case of the installation at the Arena, some of the art is “faced with technical issues like computers and underground wiring and Public Works is not equipped to meet those requirements – you have to work with the artist.”
Before the voting began, the representatives from the agencies heard from the council that the rules and regulations regarding the Public Service Grant process would from this point forward be followed to the letter and some issues that had been up for interpretation would be clarified either through policy statements or legislation.
Compliance with rules regarding financial reporting was mentioned specifically. In years past, agencies that were not in compliance with those rules were allowed to apply for grants and receive the funds provided the organization was in compliance when the funds were transferred. Beginning in FY 2010-11 funding applications from agencies not in compliance the day the application is due will not be considered by the council.
Mallet said with more than 60 nonprofit organizations requesting funds each year, “You have to have rules and you’ve got to draw the line. We have to be the stewards of the public’s money.”
After the Sulzbacher Center was granted $113,823 for emergency shelter services for the homeless, its President and CEO Audrey Moran said, “Public Service Grants are a small part of the City’s budget but a very important part. The council is working very diligently to make sure the process is transparent and abundantly fair.
“The tax payers can rest assured every dollar is being scrutinized.”
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