As the Columbus City Council moves towards approving its Fiscal Year 2103 budget, organizations across the area will also be facing some tough decisions.
With a more than $300,000 increase in appropriation requests, the council decided to keep the funding at its 2012 level of $1,233,745.
The city provides funds to 21 agencies, including the Columbus-Lowndes Economic Development Link, Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority and E-911.
Two of those three organizations will see an increase in funding from last year, however.
The Link will have the same funding at $100,000, with an additional $10,000 for the Blaze Morale Fund, a fund to use specifically in support of the Columbus Air Force Base. E-911 services will receive the requested $124,476 after the council agreed to divide the costs evenly with the county, something that had been part of its original agreement. Recently, the city had funded less than half of that cost. Last year, the city allocated roughly $90,000 for E-911.
But for other agencies, including the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library and the Lowndes County Human Society, 2013 could be a lean year.
The Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority will receive $601,960 of its requested $617,013 while Main Street Columbus will receive $2,000 less than requested.
Main Street Columbus requested $22,000 for operations, plus another $15,000 specifically for the Hitching Lot Farmers Market. The council has approved $35,000 for MSC, however, $2,000 short of its total request.
“The $22,000 we request annually is 20 percent of our operating budget,” Brislin said. ” We also receive $20,000 annually from the county. The $15,000 request is used strictly for promotion, planing activities, workshops, upkeep, overhead and manpower to organize the Hitching Lot Farmers Market,” Brislin said.
“The total of $37,000 is imperative for Main Street Columbus and the Hitching Lot Farmers Market to operate successfully and effectively,” Brislin said. “We have requested funding (for more than) what we have received the past 15 years. We currently have the same funding as we did in the late 1990s. We must continue to provide quality of life events for the city and the county and continue to reinvest in our community by our economic development efforts and promotion of our downtown. These are the reasons our organization was created and it’s our job to continue to raise the bar.”
On the opposite end of the funding scale, Columbus Arts Council Director Tina Sweeten said the city’s contribution is a small part of her operating budget.
“The city’s portion of our budget is only three percent,” said Sweeten. “We requested $10,000, which is $2,000 more than we received in 2012. We get an operating grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission, which is funded by a federal endowment. We can do without the requested increase, but we’ve had funds cut from our larger grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission. The additional request was to make up what was lost from the arts grant. It won’t kill us (not to receive the additional $2,000) but it would have been nice.”
Sweeten said the CAC also receives funding from grants, memberships and corporate sponsors including the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau.
2013 funding vs. requests
Red Cross
2013 Requested: $15,000
2013 Suggested: $12,500
Lowndes County Humane Society
2013 Requested: $172,000
2103 Suggested: $60,000
Boys and Girls Club
2013 Requested: $18,000
2013 Suggested: $12,000
Contact Helpline
2013 Requested: $5,000
2012 Suggested: $3,500
Columbus-Lowndes County
Public Library
2013 Requested: $270,000
2013 Suggested: $250,000
Suggested is same as 2012 level
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
