The Durango City Council heard pitches for funding Tuesday focused on tourism, energy efficiency and gardening.
The board faced tough budget decisions for a few programs and considered new gardening ideas to fund in 2016.
The councilors weighed cutting staff from the Durango Visitors Center in Santa Rita Park to help balance the budget without dipping into savings at the suggestion of Bob Kunkel, executive director of the Durango Area Tourism Office.
It was an unpopular idea.
“I have concerns about the welcome center in Santa Rita not being staffed,” said Councilor Keith Brant.
Councilors favored staffing the center because tourists often stop there before they have decided to stay in town, and staff members can persuade tourists to stay.
Without staff members present, fewer visits could cut into lodgers tax revenues, Brant said.
The board will revisit DATO’s requests to see if funds could be included for Visitors Center staff in 2016.
Fighting climate change
Encouraging energy conservation through 4CORE, the Four Corners Office for Energy Efficiency, was also a hot topic.
The nonprofit was originally established through the city, La Plata County and the La Plata Electric Association. In 2016, City Manager Ron LeBlanc proposed $5,000 for administration and $15,500 for HomeRx, a program that educates residents on upgrades to make their homes more efficient and provides rebates for participating residents.
But two members of the 4CORE board argued the nonprofit needs more money for administration.
“Are we still relevant to you? That’s my question to you today,” said 4CORE Treasurer Kurt Schneider.
The organization needs $7,000 to fund the HomeRx program, and the city should look hard at providing more money for operations to help fight climate change, he said.
Councilor Dick White asked his peers to consider the importance of the nonprofit in helping to meet local goals in the La Plata Climate and Energy Action Plan.
“Building efficiency is one of the major issues we have to address if we are going to address climate change,” White said.
But building community support for the nonprofit to offset the need for government support is key, said Councilor Keith Brant.
The board did not make a final decision Tuesday.
Supporting fresh food
For the first time, the city plans to fund the Colorado Garden Project of the Southwest to help the nonprofit expand its garden at Manna Soup Kitchen, increase the number of people receiving garden boxes, and possibly hire at-risk students to work in the garden.
Improvements at the Manna Soup Kitchen garden will make it possible for it to produce vegetables longer and supply more fresh salad for foods, said Garden Project Executive Director Sandhya Tillotson.
“Those are the folks in our community that need the best nutrition because they don’t have the health care,” she said.
The nonprofit would like to hire about five students, who are also clients of the La Plata Youth Services, to work 50 hours a week at the garden.
She also proposed a new garden training for those in the culinary program at Manna Soup Kitchen.
The draft budget proposes $23,000 for the garden project.
If the proposal is not approved, Tillotson said the plans for expansion would go forward, but the programs would not be as robust.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
