Lewiston council limits cash donations to city-run events, keeps in-kind support for nonprofits

During the April 23 Lewiston budget workshop councilors reached broad agreement to restrict cash grants to city-run events and to favor providing in-kind support to community organizations instead of unrestricted operating cash.

Councillor Harriman said she would support in-kind contributions but not general cash grants, except for city-produced events such as the balloon festival and the Liberty Festival. "In-kind is okay ... but cash contributions for general operating expenses are not tenable any longer," she said.

Councillor Roy and others said they would consider limited use of opioid-settlement money for specific purposes; Deputy Administrator O'Malley confirmed a longstanding $1,500 use from opioid funds for the Rally for Recovery had been budgeted and was acceptable.

Councilors also questioned a request from Spurwink for $300,000 for a vehicle; several members said that request should be removed from the general budget and taken up in a separate workshop with more detail about permitted uses under opioid-settlement rules and program operations.

Council consensus was to move forward with in-kind support broadly, allow cash for the two city-run festivals, and treat other cash requests on a case-by-case basis with tighter procurement or RFP processes where the city is buying services or outcomes rather than subsidizing general operating expenses.

Administration will remove or separately workshop the Spurwink vehicle request and codify the council's guidance ahead of the May 5 budget adoption meeting.