Council wraps up distribution of Community Benefit Share

The Nome Common Council unanimously passed a resolution Jan. 28 dividing up a Community Benefit Share of $167,000 received from Norton Sound Economic Development Corp.

To do so, the Council had to pare down some requests for funding that came in totaling $253,340.83. The Council funded all the projects for kids, reduced a couple of requests and found other funding sources to get down to $167,000 that went to Nome and to each of 15 other villages.

The Council decided to absorb $13,000 for upgrades to XYZ Senior Center’s hot water system for showers and laundry and kitchen improvements into the City’s budget. A request for $30,000 to upgrade a Nome Public School telephone system disappeared when Interim City Manager offered boxes of telephone parts from the City that matched the school’s system. Nome Preschool Association’s request for $35,000 moved to next fiscal year. The Council cut out a request from Bering Sea Women’s Group for $12,850, then slashed $42,650 from Animal House’s request for funding for an X-ray machine and then halved a request from the animal rescue group PAWS reasoning that half the pets came from out of town.

Trinh Johnson rose from the Council audience to oppose that move, telling the Council that good, compassionate people ran the much-needed service for animals in trouble.

Nineteen organizations applied for money at a public work session with public input on best use of the money, per requirements of NSEDC.

Their requests appear in parentheses, followed by amount awarded:

Iditarod ($10,000) $10,000; Alaska Business Development Center ($1,500) $ 1,500; NEST ($3,000) $3,000; NCC Children's Home ($7,000) $7,000; NCC Food Bank ($5,000) $ 5,000; NCC Boys & Girls Club ($15,000) $15,000; NCC Camp Crave ($10,000) $10,000; NCC XYZ Center ($13,000)$ 0; NCC Youth Court ($5,000) $ 5,000; Iron Dog ($10,000) $10,000; Nome Animal House ($55,150) $ 12,500; Nome Nordic Ski Team via Nome Winter Sports Association ($8,000) $ 8,000; NPS Anvil City Science Academy ($ 7,700) $7,700; PAWS ($5,840.83) $2,920; Nome Public Schools ($ 30,000) $ 0; NPS Nome-Beltz Junior High ($5,000) $5,000; Nome Preschool Association ($35,000) $ 0; NPS Nome Cross Country Program ($1,350) $1,350;  NPS Nome-Beltz Biology ($6,000) $6,000; Bering Sea Women’s Group ($12,850) $0; Nome Covenant Church Checkpoint Youth Center ($ 6,500) $6,500; NPS Nome Elementary Ski Club ($450) $ 450.

The Council reduced $253,340.83 in requests to $116,920 to community organizations and one business, plus Rec Center upgrades worth $50,080 retained by the City to meet the community benefit share of $167,000.

The recipients must provide budgets and receipts for their expenditures of the Community Benefit Share from offshore fishing resources.

The Nome Nugget

PO Box 610
Nome, Alaska 99762
USA

Phone: (907) 443-5235
Fax: (907) 443-5112

www.nomenugget.net

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