As planning for the city’s 2019-20 fiscal year budget began in earnest last week, council members focused on a request for $50,000 in matching funds from the CARE (Cultural Arts and Recreation Enhancement) committee. Councilwoman Wendie Cook, who was a member of the committee that led Canadian’s successful quest for cultural arts designation, explained that the allocation demonstrates local support for CARE, which is an important consideration in many grant applications. She explained that a variety of grants are available. Some require matching funds. Others do not.

“Having that money there allows us to apply for $10 million in funding available to cultural districts around the state,” Cook said. “It does not have to be expended each year. We just have to show that the city has $50,000 ready to go if we were asking for a grant match.”

This week, the city submitted a grant application to the Amarillo Area Foundation for funds to help with lighting for Sunset Park. “We don’t have to have a balance for that grant,” Cook explained. “But it is always better if you have that financial support. It makes for a stronger case, and shows financial solidarity.”

Cook also pointed out that the Texas Council for the Arts asked for $5 million in funding this year, and was actually granted $10 million. “That is available this year,” she said. “You can do staffing, infrastructure, festival grants...anybody within a cultural district can apply for this.”

Mayor Terrill Bartlett asked Community Development Director Shane Spencer, who was present for the meeting, whether the EDC might fund the $50,000 request from CARE. “I don’t think we can direct-fund it,” Spencer replied. “Being a Type A [corporation] limits what you can spend it on.”

Cook and Councilman Jonathan Frederick both argued that EDC funds were intended for economic development, and could be spent on job creation. “If you are funding a primary job,” Frederick said, “you can do that.”

Cook also noted that there are grants available for signage and other improvements, as well as for marketing the cultural district itself, which might open the door to Chamber funding.

Councilman Gary Prater asked what city funds were available for funding the $50,000 request. Jarosek said the money could be taken out of general fund revenues. He also suggested that $40,000, set aside as matching funding for a failed TxDOT sidewalk grant application, might be re-allocated to CARE.

But pressed by Frederick, he called taking the funds out of reserves a last resort, saying, “That’s like a savings account. Do you want to take that out for operation purposes, or for emergency purposes?”

“I understand savings,” said Frederick. “But we have insurance that would pay for a catastrophe. The city will be able to tax to generate revenue...”

“Once you start spending it,” Bartlett said, “where do you stop?”

The discussion closed with the council reaching a general consensus that CARE funding should be included in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year.

In other business, the council approved an amendment to this year’s budget, allocating an additional $175,000 to fund engineering and design fees for the relocation of city utilities on US 60/83. The expenditure had been anticipated, and will be paid out of water-andsewer reserves, which has a $1.4 million balance in unrestricted funds.

The utility-relocation work is being planned in conjunction with TxDOT’s highway rehabilitation project, and is expected to cost the city $975,193—out of an overall cost of nearly $2.8 million—when completed. Bid letting for that phase of the project is set for August, according to city engineer Dwight Brandt.

The full scope of the TxDOT project includes construction of a new concrete roadway with slightly wider outside lanes to accomodate bicycles, installation of sidewalks on both sides, replacement of traffic signals, and new curb and gutter to improve drainage.

New decorative streetlights will be also be installed, at a cost to the city of $379,700. Beautification of the city’s entryways and travel corridor are among the top goals established in the city’s comprehensive plan, adopted by the council in November 2016.

According to city engineer Dwight Brandt, bid letting should occur this August for the utility-relocation portion of TxDOT’s project.  Road reconstruction is expected to begin in 2021, but no specific start date has been reported.

The council also approved an ordinance amending the current golf course budget to cover the $232,240 cost of replacing a damaged water-well pump motor. Jarosek urged the council to act, saying, “Without it, we have no ability to get water, and would lose our investment by not having functional wells.”