Aurora council pauses $80,000 advance to OnLight Aurora for further review; staff seeks strategic plan

City staff asked the Committee of the Whole to approve an $80,000 advance to OnLight Aurora to cover near-term payables and allow volunteer leaders time to develop a strategic plan; council members pressed staff for more financial detail and longer-term options and chose not to finalize the request at this meeting.

"What this advance will do will help them get caught up on some outstanding ... bills as well as provide a small amount of, near term, near term cash," said Brian Caputo, the city’s chief operating officer, describing the $80,000 as intended to address prioritized obligations and to buy time for a planning process. Caputo said the money could be structured as either a grant or a loan and that staff hoped the funding would be converted to a loan if possible.

Volunteer OnLight director Austin Fitzcorbett told the council the organization currently serves fewer than 20 customers, including institutional and education customers, and said bluntly: "This $80,000 is to keep the lights on." Fitzcorbett described disorganized board records, recent turnover and that the most recent board resolutions the volunteer team found concerned financial authorizations.

Council members raised several concerns: whether the city would assume control of the nonprofit (corporation counsel said grants or loans do not transfer ownership), how legal fees are accumulating and whether the city should require repayment terms. Alderman Smith called the request "a little bit of a band aid" given the city's own recent budget deficits; other members noted OnLight controls city-owned fiber and that the asset has strategic value for continuity of service to schools, clinics and other institutions.

Financial and governance details discussed in session:
- Staff said the first tranche of prioritized payables amounts to roughly $50,000 and would cover aging obligations cited by the volunteer director.
- OnLight currently has fewer than 20 customers; at its peak it served more than 30.
- The OnLight board is authorized for seven seats; staff said three are currently filled (including the mayor and one alderman) with four vacancies reported.

Outcome: council members set the item as "unfinished" to return with additional detail. Staff said it will convene a strategic-planning process (initial meeting expected within a week) to determine whether to convert the advance to a loan, pursue other revenue options including leasing assets or hiring sales staff, or take other steps. No vote was taken to disburse funds at this meeting.