A Key West advisory board is asking the city commission to give six kids’ sports leagues a 73% funding increase, or an extra $53,600.
It would seem an easy ask of elected officials, as no one wants to say no to kids.
But the town’s unelected leaders — the city manager and finance director — do not support the unbudgeted request from the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which missed the current year’s budgeting process due to poor attendance at its meetings, and as a result, voted in September to postpone its additional funding request until next year, Finance Director Mark Finigan writes in the executive summary attached to Tuesday’s agenda item.
Finigan’s summary states that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board didn’t meet in June, July and August because four or more members were absent. The board also had to cancel its most recent meeting, last week on Jan. 27, due to insufficient attendance, according to city records.
When the PAR board did meet in September 2021 to consider the recommended increases for the sports leagues, drafted by vice chair Roger McVeigh, the city’s budget process was over, and “the board unanimously voted to recommend increasing the youth athletic league funding to $125,000 [an increase of $53,600] for [the next fiscal year],” Finigan wrote, according to the agenda.
Then, four months later, his summary states, on Jan. 13, 2022, Mayor Teri Johnston “forwarded to the City Manager the recommendation memo from [vice chair McVeigh] requesting that the funding … be implemented in the current budget cycle,” the executive summary states.
“The increase recommended in the amount of $53,600 has not been budgeted for the FY 2021-22 year,” Finigan writes. “City Management and the Finance Staff do not support awarding the additional FY 2021-22 increased funding, but rather recommend that any increase in annual funding be incorporated in the FY2022-23 budget review process.”
But let’s back up a bit…
The city typically allocates $71,400 a year to six youth athletic leagues — soccer, baseball, softball, football, lacrosse and hockey. The city also provides the field space, maintenance and utilities for its facilities.
The $71,400 was not allocated to youth athletics for the past two years. As COVID forced the athletic leagues to suspend play, the city diverted the money to community-wide COVID concerns, Finigan’s summary states.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, its members appointed by each city commissioner and the mayor, was asked last year to review funding applications from the sports leagues and make recommendations about how the $71,400 gets distributed among them, “…with the understanding that the total amount of $71,400 would not change…,” Finigan said. “The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board received the FY 2021-22 league funding applications, reviewed them in detail and developed a recommendation to increase league funding.”
McVeigh’s funding memo recommends increases for each of the six leagues, based on an additional $53,600.
The PAR board was to consider the memo at its September meeting, but voted then to postpone its request until next year’s budget cycle, as the current year’s budget process was over. Minutes show that McVeigh and two others were absent from the September meeting.
Who gets what?
A review of Parks and Recreation board minutes show that only two of the six leagues — hockey and lacrosse — asked for additional city funding.
The Southernmost Hockey Club has traditionally received $7,000 a year. In May 2021, club treasurer Alicia Farrer asked for an additional $3,000 to bring its total to $10,000, minutes show.
McVeigh’s funding memo recommends an $8,000 increase, which would bring the hockey club’s funding from $7,000 to $15,000 a year.
The Key West Youth Lacrosse League also has previously received $7,000 a year from the city. In May 2021, treasurer Evan Haskell requested an additional $24,225 to bring the lacrosse league’s total city funding to $31,225, more than any league has ever received.
McVeigh’s memo proposes a $13,000 increase for the lacrosse league, bringing its total from $7,000 to $20,000.
The other four sports leagues that did not request additional funding, each would receive an extra $6,500 to $10,000 if the $53,600 increase is approved, according to the proposed resolution. The recommendations would increase funding as follows:
Little Conch Baseball: $19,500 to $25,000
Key West Youth Football: $18,000 to $25,000
AYSO Soccer: $10,000 to $20,000
Key West Girls Softball: $10,000 to $20,000
Southernmost Hockey Club: $7,000 to $15,000 (requested a total of $10,000)
Key West Youth Lacrosse: $7,000 to $20,000 (requested a total of $31,225)
The city’s total allocation would increase from $71,400 to $125,000. McVeigh’s memo highlights the importance of youth sports to the community and suggests that the money be taken from the city manager’s discretionary fund, or from increased parking and sales tax revenues.
Mayor Teri Johnston and Commissioner Sam Kaufman are sponsoring the PAR board’s resolution for Tuesday’s commission meeting, the agenda states. Finigan and McLauchlin are recommending the request wait until the 2022/23 budget process, as the PAR board voted to do in September.
Commissioner Mary Lou Hoover said she wants to hear McVeigh’s and Finigan’s arguments for and against the unbudgeted expenditure at Tuesday’s city commission meeting.
She added that the PAR advisory board’s inability to meet due to lack of attendance concerns her.
“I’ve asked for attendance records of all my board and committee appointees, because this isn’t the only board with this attendance problem, and it costs time and money when city staff plans to attend meetings that don’t take place,” Hoover said.
The city commission meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1. The funding increase is included as part of the consent agenda, meaning it will be approved without discussion unless a commissioner or community member asks that it be discussed.
The complete agenda is available at cityofkeywest-fl.gov.
