After an update from Alan Weber of Your Community Foundation, Allen County commissioners are weighing options with the county’s environmental fund. The fund was established in 2012 with the county contributing $50,000 in 2013. “That fund now has a value of $97,000,” said Weber, Your Community Foundation secretary/treasurer.
Weber told commissioners that last year the local foundation qualified for a grant from the Patterson Foundation of Kansas City. The Patterson Foundation agreed to match any funds raised by Your Community Foundation, up to $70,000.
“We raised over $70,000,” said Weber, though no funds were specifically designated to the environmental fund.
The Patterson Foundation has again offered an equal match for this year with the stipulation that it not be donor-directed.
County commissioners are the advisory council for the environmental fund, explained Weber. “You say when money is supposed to be distributed somewhere and then we go ahead and pay it out that way.”
If the county wants the environmental fund to qualify for the Patterson matching grant again, it would have to change from it being a donor-directed fund to a Field of Interest (FOI) fund.
Weber explained this would mean the commission would have to give up majority power over how the funds are spent. Commissioners would need to name themselves and the Your Community Foundation board as the advisory council.
“That would be quite a big change,” noted Weber. “But, that’s what it would take in order to be in the Patterson match. You can also choose to keep functioning as you are — there’s no problem with that, but Patterson won’t match donor directed funds.”
To date, no money has been withdrawn from the environmental fund. “You probably need to start thinking about projects to do,” said Weber. He added that the IRS gets a little “antsy” about funds that just sit there and don’t actually distribute money each year. “They want to see charitable purposes being taken care of,” he said.
THE environmental fund must be utilized for environment related projects. “It is available for distribution for Allen County or any other charitable, education, or government entity designated by the fund advisory committee for the purpose of improving the quality of Allen County’s environment,” said Weber. This would include, but not be limited to, prevention of pollution, conservation, and promoting environmental literacy.
Commissioner Bruce Symes noted that past discussions included whether ACARF would be able to utilize these funds.
“I think that it’s environment related,” said Symes.
Commissioner Jerry Daniels mentioned a recycling program would be eligible for the funds. “I can see where you can stretch the quality of Allen County’s environment to cover ACARF, but recycling is certainly included,” said Weber. “It could be used to fund a recycling project, even one that the county is running. It doesn’t have to go to a separate organization.”
Weber noted this could mean expanding the county’s recycling efforts at the landfill, or potentially moving some recycling receptacles into town.
If the commission chooses to change the fund to an FOI, the Your Community Foundation board would then be the deciding majority on how the fund is used. “It is something to think about,” said Symes. “The commission is accountable to the voters for our decisions and we are relinquishing that with taxpayer dollars if we open that out, but there’s a big advantage to doing it.”
