BIDDEFORD — Last week, organizations that receive significant funding from the City of Biddeford made their case before the City Council about why their budgets for the new fiscal year should remain the same or increase slightly over the previous year.
Tammy Ackerman, board president of the downtown revitalization organization Heart of Biddeford, told councilors Thursday that the organization again needs the $20,000 it has received from the city in past years.
In addition to funding, the city also contributes free office space to the organization.
The money the city pays to the Heart of Biddeford is well spent, said Ackerman. Since its inception in 2004, she said, the organization has helped bring people to the downtown by organizing business and community events such as the DonutClub business group, the annual Chalk on the Walk Festival, and the annual Christmas festival, to name a few.
Some were critical of the organization and of granting its full request, however.
Mayor Joanne Twomey said she was upset that members of the Heart of Biddeford helped organize efforts against the referendum to locate a racino, which combines a harness racetrack with slot machines, in Biddeford.
HOB board member Renee O’Neil said the organization shouldn’t be penalized for the actions of only some members. The organization’s board never took a stand against the racino, she said, because there was disagreement among members about the racino’s benefits.
One councilor, David Bourque, said it was unfair that the Heart of Biddeford should receive $20,000 when another downtown organization only received $6,500.
The larger contribution was warranted, said Ackerman because the HOB pays for a full-time director, which the Downtown Development Commission doesn’t have.
Plus, she said, the city realizes a greater financial benefit from its investment in the HOB through the receipt of grants, which were used to make crosswalk improvements, renovate a downtown park and fashion a downtown master plan, as well as more than $370,000 contributed by businesses and individuals.
The Downtown Development Commission asked for $10,000 in the 2012 budget, $3,500 more than it received during the current budget cycle.
Brian Keely, president of the DDC, said the increase would repay the organization for money it used to repair a historic, city-owned cannon.
The money for those repairs should have come from the city’s coffers, said Councilor Jim Emerson, not the DDC. He said the commission should be repaid those funds during the current budget cycle so it can carry out projects already approved.
Another downtown organization that asked for increased funding in 2012 was the McArthur Library.
The library’s recently hired Executive Director Jeff Cabral requested a $10,000 increase in the new budget cycle. If approved, the city’s contribution to the library would be $290,000.
The increase is needed to pay for rising fuel and other costs, said Cabral.
During economic downturns the demand for services provided by public libraries increases, he said, and computer access and Internet connectivity, to help people with job searches, is one of the most valuable services the library provides.
On an average day, the McArthur library provides Internet service to more than 100 people, according to statistics collected by the library. It also circulates more than 450 items and welcomes more than 300 visitors who use its collections, services and programs.
The library provides good value to the city, according to these statistics, said Cabral. The average per capita cost for the McArthur is $13, well below the state average of $23.50.
No decision was made about the amount of funding these organizations will receive in the 2012 budget.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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