CITY OF SAN MARCOS
The San Marcos City Council approved the allocation of $550,000 from the city’s general fund to go to various nonprofit organizations at the regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday. At the previous meeting on Dec. 17, the council postponed this item. Prior to postponement a motion to move $10,000 from ACCEYSS to Salvation Army was approved. A motion to move $15,000 from H.O.M.E. Center to Salvation Army, which would receive $10,000, and Nosotros La Gente Emergency Assistance Program, which would receive $5,000, remained on the table for discussion at the start of the meeting, according to city documents. San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson did not reintroduce the motion to move funds from the H.O.M.E. Center, leaving the funding recommendations as made originally by the Human Services Advisory Board, a council-appointed board, other than the $10,000 moved from ACCEYSS.
Hays County Food Bank requested $85,000 and received that amount. School Fuel requested $44,000 and received that amount. Combined Community Action requested $15,000 and received that amount. The San Marcos Housing Authority requested $20,000 and received $15,000. Hays County Child Protective Board requested $25,000 and received $15,000. Society of St. Vincent de Paul requested $30,000 and received $20,000. Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center requested $100,000 for various programs and received $60,000. Court Appointed Special Advocates requested $42,365 and received $42,000. Greater San Marcos Youth Council requested $65,000 and received $31,000. Bobcat Pride requested $5,000 and received that amount. Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas requested $20,000 and received $18,000. Nosotros La Gente requested $20,000 and received $10,000. Head to Toe San Marcos requested $2,000 and received $1,500. Southside Community Center requested $60,000 and received $48,000. Lifelong Learning requested $9,354 and received $8,000. Salvation Army requested $50,000 and received $10,000. Cenikor requested $30,000 and received $7,500. ACCEYSS Network requested $30,000 and received $10,000. H.O.M.E. center requested $40,000 and received $20,000. Scheib Opportunity Center requested $75,000 and received $15,000. Communities in Schools requested $19,000 and received $0. Outsiders Anonymous requested $50,000 and received $0. Any Baby Can requested $30,000 and received the same amount. Girls Empowerment Network requested $20,000 and received $0. Centro Esperanza requested $15,000 and received $0. Abundant Life Christian Church requested $83,075 and received $20,000. BCL of Texas requested $50,000 and received $0. San Marcos Youth Service Bureau requested $25,000 and received $10,000.
San Marcos City Council Member Alyssa Garza said the council has done a good job of being transparent.
“I think that we have made improvements as a council giving direction to create a process that is very transparent that the volunteers can follow and our neighbors can follow along, watch the videos. … There’s an application. Everybody gets the same forms. The city staff will provide one on one support if they need it,” Garza said, adding a statement that referred to the previous council meeting in which funds were moved from one nonprofit to another. “I think that part of the process is to build on that for the future because I’m very uncomfortable with seemingly, randomly … moving around funds.”
San Marcos City Manager Stephanie Reyes said they plan to bring an item back to council regarding the city’s process for deciding where the funding goes for next year.
Hughson said she thinks the more that the council can give staff guidance in advance, the smoother the process will be.
“I think we should, in advance, and it may change a little bit each year, talk about where we want the emphasis. Is it on emergency assistance? Is it on food? Is it on children’s programs?” Hughson said. “They’re all important, but the emergency assistance, that’s the one that we’ve been dealing with the most.”
San Marcos City Council Member Amanda Rodriguez said she agreed that should be done but wanted to add that the city of San Marcos created a situation in which it is reliant on these nonprofits for critical services.
“I think all of the ‘thank you’s’ and ‘we’ll work on the criteria’ and all of that is really empty,” Rodriguez said. “One of the things that I think has been reiterated, both in this meeting and the previous one, is that $550,000 was never enough. If we really want to address the issue to its core … it needs more money.”
She added that these conversations “are literally pitting organizations against each other that serve the same people.” She said the Human Services Board deliberated for 12 hours, and she finds it frustrating that “we thought it was okay in a 45 minute period to think that those 12 hours were for nothing.”
The item was approved unanimously.
