Despite receiving a recommendation from their fiscal officer to hold off, the Plymouth City Council passed a resolution Monday night that confirms the City’s support for the Marshall County Crossroads Regional Stellar Initiative as well as a permanent supportive housing development.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi shared a few details about the Stellar Initiative and noted a permanent supportive housing development is one of the city’s projects they plan to include in the County’s application seeking a Regional Stellar Designation.
The housing project is intended to provide a stable living environment for individuals in the community who currently do not have one. For instance, the homeless population and people who live in non-permanent residences, such as a motel. Residents would be brought in on a referral basis and rent would be subsidized.
About $1.7 million has reportedly been secured for this multi-family housing project that will be constructed on a Jefferson Street property currently owned by Ancilla College. A $50,000 donation from the Marshall County Community Foundation has also been promised for this effort. However, as of Monday, those funds had not been officially received.
Project representatives were seeking a local commitment of $350,000, as outlined in the proposed resolution. It was mentioned that the city’s match amount could decrease if additional donations are provided externally.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeanine Xaver weighed in on the subject. She mentioned that while she applauds the efforts that are being made to help improve the lives of residents, she expressed disappointment that no one came to her to discuss cash flow before the proposed resolution was drafted.
She recognized this kind of plan may have been a local topic of discussion for some time but noted that since those conversations began, funds have been spent.
She went on to list a number of projects and other grant matches that the city is currently responsible for. She also provided a balance comparison of figures from 2012 compared to this year that showed major funds have depleted significantly.
She told members earnestly, “I understand the theory that investment in economic development creates growth. What concerns me is when groups come to the city for funding when they haven’t approached or received funding from the county, the school or other local governments who have a larger tax base than we do.” Xaver added, “As your fiscal officer, I am begging you to look at these requests and how they affect our funding on a much deeper level.”
She recommended delaying action on the resolution until the 2019 budget is adopted. She said at that point, they could review uncommitted fund balances and move forward responsibly.
A discussion ensued, where council members considered the importance of what Xaver was saying but also weighed the potential consequences of not providing their support for the Regional Stellar Effort., especially with the deadline to submit the County’s regional development plan coming up this month.
Eventually, a motion was made to pass the resolution as presented. It was passed with a vote of 4-2, with Council members Don Ecker Jr. and Randy Longanecker voting in opposition.
Monday night’s discussion will be the focus the Maximum Impact Program airing this Sunday at noon on max98.3 FM.
