City Directs $10,000 to The Depot

In a shift from longstanding policy, the City Council agreed on Tuesday to set aside $10,000 in city money for .

The Depot is a city-owned facility but has in the past. However, the economic downturn has caused a sharp drop in the number of private grants, which have historically made up more than a third of the facility’s revenue.

The Depot budgeted $40,000 to $45,000 in corporate grants. So far it’s received about $20,000, said Finance Director Christine Harkess. The financial difficulties have become so acute that The Depot's teen coordinator voluntarily reduced his own workweek from 40 hours to 30 hours.

The council’s action Tuesday closes some of that gap by shifting $10,000 from the city’s general fund to The Depot.

“That’s a change in past policy,” Harkess emphasized. “We have not moved any general fund dollars into The Depot (in the past).”

Mayor Gene Maxwell said the decision provides services for a segment of the population that hasn’t been a major beneficiary of general fund money. Since the city provides money for children through the joint recreation program and senior citizens through the , it makes sense to do so for The Depot, which targets teens.

The city money won’t necessarily be the last new revenue stream for The Depot. Further money could be directed to the facility through recreation fee increases—likely in the 50-cent to $1 range.