Palmer amends community council grant process

PALMER — The Palmer City Council voted to approve Ordinance 20-015 at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The ordinance amended how the council will be able to distribute the $12,000 (budgeted yearly) for community council grants. Prior to passing unanimously, the ordinance was amended twice.

The first amendment was to change the city staff responsible for coordinating with grant applicants from the city manager to the city clerk.

“The important work is to make sure the application is complete so the city council can make a judgement on do they want to fund this program. I don’t see a whole lot of work to it,” said Manager John Moosey. “It’s a very small program but it’s something that I think is good for our community and really the decision making before this ordinance rested with the city council, it will rest with the city council to make the decisions. So I think it’s very limited as far as any type of management or effort.”

After the first amendment to edit the document to reflect that the clerk would communicate with grant applicants who wish to speak to the council under communications and appearance requests, other changes were proposed to the community council grant process.

“In our new languages it’s about community and I feel torn still with the idea that we’re excluding in our banquet the residents of Palmer,” said Councilman Richard Best. “I still have reservations with not putting a boundary limitation for these funds that as elected officials on the Palmer City Council that I think we should have kind of reigned in the proximities.”

Best moved an amendment to remove “greater” from the phrase “greater Palmer” within the ordinance. Councilwoman Julie Berberich argued that the language in the ordinance allowed more flexibility, but kept the decision making ability with the council to decide what was within the parameters of Palmer.

“We are a gateway community and so a lot of events that occur in our community don’t happen in city limits but they still bring a lot of economic growth and visits to our town, so by putting a boundary on it I think that we’re limiting ourselves,” said Deputy Mayor Sabrena Combs. “As a group we are able to recognize easily what events will benefit Palmer and which have nothing to do with us. In my years on the council so far, I can’t think of anything we’ve approved that did not directly affect our community in a positive way.”

After extra debate over the tax implications of sales tax as opposed to property tax and which residents should take priority in community council grant applications, the motion to amend the ordinance to remove the word “greater” passed 6-1 with only Combs voting in opposition.