Commissioners again delay funding requests

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

At the March 11 meeting of the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners the Rogers City Area Chamber of Commerce, the Nautical Festival Committee (NFC) and the Presque Isle County Fair Board came before the board with funding requests. The chamber was asking for $2,000 to help with the summer concert series, the NFC asking for $5,000 and the fair board requesting $5,000.

At that time the board directed prosecuting attorney Rick Steiger to review the legality of the county granting such funds to the organizations before they voted on the requests.

At Friday?s board of commissioners? meeting the funding requests appeared on the top of the agenda as unfinished business. Steiger informed the board that he looked into the matter to see if there was a statute that would make it legal for the county to give the organizations funding and he believed there was.

?There is a statute that would allow the county to enter into a contract with an organization to give them money to help with advertising expenses if the event attracts tourists and resorters to the area,? said Steiger.

Under the statute the funds could only be used for advertising expenses, a written contract would be needed between the county and the organization and a financial statement detailing the advertising expenses would have to be provided to the county following the event.

After hearing Steiger?s legal advice the board moved on with their discussion regarding the requests. Teresa Splan, president of the Presque Isle County Fair Board, Dave Snow, executive director of the chamber of commerce and Dennis Downie, chairman of the NFC were all in the audience at the meeting and assured the board that funding for advertising would be a great help and the requests they gave were on target with their projected advertising budget.

District Three commissioner Michael Darga made a motion to grant the funds to the organizations which was seconded by District Two commissioner Kris Sorgenfrei. The topic was then up for further discussion around the board table. District Five commissioner Michael Grohowski then made a suggestion, ?With these economic times, Alpena recently canceled their Riverfest event, why not back off and cancel the festival and wait for a better year?? he said.

Downie responded to his comments by indicating that the board was already too far along in the planning process to back out now, too many plans have alre

ady been made, he said.

?I want to see a financial breakdown. I want to know what you have gotten from the business community. I am nervous because of what has happened in the past with the NFC,? said Grohowski.

Chairman Carl Altman then voiced his opinion on the issue. ?Personally, I want to cut each request in half. The funds can only be used for advertising and do they really need that much for advertising? My fear is that they may have only planned to spend $3,000 on advertising but if we give them $5,000 they will spend the full amount. I want to see and advertising budget first,? he said.

Darga then amended his motion to include that a financial statement complete with projected advertising costs and breakdowns would need to be provided at the April 8 board meeting. Sorgenfrei seconded the amendment and the board voted on the issue. With the absence of District One commissioner Robert Schell the vote came out a two-two tie and all three organizations were directed to bring advertising budgets to the April 8 meeting where the funding requests will again appear on the agenda.

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