County to reorganize how donated funds are managed

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Managing funds donated by Western Elite to help partially meet the needs of youth groups in Lincoln County has been the task of the Lincoln County Board of County Commissioners.

During the regular Commission meeting Dec. 2, the issue was discussed by the board who said they don?t want the job of doing that anymore.

Commissioner Paul Donohue said the generosity of Western Elite was not in question, but the process by which the County managed the funds, ?has become quite cumbersome in my opinion.?

He felt it was not the place of the Commissioners to be doing that. ?We get in predicaments of how to be fair across the board. We might give one amount of money to one group and not to another. How do we determine how to do that? It is not their responsibility or their job to manage the dispersion of charitable funds.? He said he felt it was ?the wrong people doing the right thing.?

Judie Brailsford of Western Elite in Vegas, said the company was willing to do things however the Commission desired. She said Western Elite wishes to continue to make donations. In Clark County, Western Elite disburses the funds themselves.

After hearing several ideas put forth, Commissioner Adam Katschke suggested the Commission board set a time, once a year, where groups can make requests for money from the Youth Fund.

He said the various groups will have to plan ahead to what they think they will need, fill out application forms, then during a designated month, once a year, Commissioners will take applications. Each group will be asked to come to a Commission meeting to make a verbal presentation of their request.

After hearing the requests, not necessarily all at one time, decisions of donations will be made.

Donohue said if the Commission board was going to continue to be involved, and suggested a grant committee be set up to study the matter, organize the process, and establish criteria and guidelines. Funds are to be processed through the Grants Administrator?s office. Kevin Phillips made a motion that he and Commissioner Katschke be the committee to study the matter and report back at a later time. Commissioner Paul Mathews was absent.