Monday, AUGUST 18, 2025 |
Photo – Rawlins City Hall – Bigfoot99 file photo
Rawlins officials debated changes to the way the city funds nonprofit agencies.
During the August 5th Rawlins City Council meeting, City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave announced that $325,663 from the city’s 2025 fiscal year budget has been allocated to support 13 local ancillary and nonprofit agencies. Attorney Maberry-Nave said the funding traditionally came from sales tax revenue rather than the general fund. Additionally, payments were made four times a year to ensure the agencies were complying with city beautification requirements and to confirm that enough tax revenue was collected.
Instead, Attorney Maberry-Nave said nonprofit allocations have been based on previous funding levels rather than agency performance or current revenue trends. The City Attorney added that funding has been awarded only to agencies with prior requests, with the city appearing to exclude organizations seeking support for the first time.
This year, citing reduced property tax revenue, the Carbon County Library System has asked to be included in the city’s nonprofit allocations. Attorney Maberry-Nave said the governing body must decide whether to approve the request or reject it, as the library has not received funding in the past.
Attorney Maberry-Nave presented a draft ancillary and nonprofit funding agreement. The City Attorney said the document streamlines the funding request process and enables the governing body to include additional public service requirements at its discretion.
Next, Attorney Maberry-Nave reviewed the 13 agencies the city has agreed to fund this fiscal year, including the Boys and Girls Club of Carbon County and Rawlins Downtown Development Authority. The city has also agreed to provide $18,000 to the Wyoming Frontier Prison’s Old Pen Joint Powers Board. In addition to the money, Attorney Maberry-Nave said the Old Pen received unlimited irrigation water. Based on the city’s standard rates, the Old Pen used approximately $12,000 in water last year. The City Attorney asked the governing body if this year’s funding allocation should include the cost of irrigation water.
Attorney Maberry-Nave said the city also donated roughly $2,000 worth of water, sewer, and garbage services to the Downtown Development Authority last year. The City Attorney asked the governing body to clarify whether in-kind donations are included in the agencies’ funding allocations or drawn from a separate source, and if the city should extend funding opportunities to other nonprofit organizations.
Councilman Steve Sanger explained that the governing body had already decided to approve the ancillary and nonprofit agency funding requests. Councilman Sanger said the City Attorney should have raised her concerns prior to the Council’s vote.
Councilwoman Tonya Lewman agreed that the time to debate the funding allocations had passed, adding that the matter should be discussed during next year’s budget talks. Councilwoman Lewman said the nonprofit agencies are relying on the city to deliver the promised funding and stressed that she did not want to delay the process.
Attorney Maberry-Nave asked the Council to address the in-kind donations of city services provided to the Old Pen Joint Powers Board and Downtown Development Authority. Mayor Jacquelin Wells requested legal guidance on how the governing body should proceed. Attorney Maberry-Nave responded that the final decision rests entirely with the Council. However, city staff have raised concerns about the volume of free water the Wyoming Frontier Prison receives each year.
Councilman Derek Elliott said he believes the nonprofit agencies should use their allocated funding to pay for city services. Councilman Sanger responded that the governing body had already agreed not to change the previous contracts and that doing so now would cause undue hardship for the organizations.
Mayor Wells recommended against changing the ancillary and nonprofit agency funding allocations. The Mayor said the Council will need to examine next year’s budget carefully, including those funding requests.
The Rawlins City Council unanimously voted to approve the previously agreed-upon nonprofit agency funding requests.
