Allen County commissioners committed $100,000 for endowment within a community foundation to encourage improvement of local environment.
The money from landfill reserves in previous years would have been deposited within a state-mandated landfill closure fund. With ample money in the fund, the state exempted the county this year from the requirement.
Advantage is twofold.
The money will be sequestered, but under control of the county, with interest going for projects, such as recycling, to deal with environmental issues. Direction of the money could be tweaked later when a full commission is seated; Commissioner Dick Works was absent Tuesday.
A positive aside of the endowment, if all works as planned, would be a $25,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation for a community foundation in the formation stage. Also, it would meet part of a 10 percent requirement for a greater grant — $500,000 is being sought and might balloon to $800,000 — for the community effort, being led by Thrive Allen County’s David Toland.
“It’s a win-win for us,” said Commissioner Gary McIntosh. “The money remains the county’s, it draws interest for whatever projects we want to do to help the environment and its helps to create a community foundation.”
McIntosh cautioned, however, that the investment would be withdrawn if the Kansas Health Foundation grant did not materialize.
Such a foundation would have a multitude of applications, he said, from helping the new Allen County Hospital add equipment to scholarships and perhaps assistance for the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility.
“We’re way behind many other communities in southeast Kansas,” McIntosh added. “Fort Scott, Parsons and Pittsburg have had foundations for years.”
A foundation is a repository for financial gifts that benefit just about anything the giver designates, he said, with contributions being tax deductible.
County invests in foundation
