Committee proposes prioritizing $180,000 for director, building and equipment; formal approval deferred to finance committee

A committee member moved to prioritize existing budgeted funds for three items: the director's compensation, remediation of the public-access building, and remaining equipment on the previously compiled equipment wish list.

The committee member framed the planned priorities as "the motion I was gonna make is that we direct you to, that we prioritize the 180,000 that we almost certainly have available -- 1, the director's compensation; 2, getting the building up and running; 3, whatever funds are left towards the equipment wish list that we already generated." Members agreed that while the committee can set priorities, large expenditures will require city-manager coordination and finance-committee review under procurement rules. The committee did not record a formal committee-level vote at this meeting; members said next steps include preparing numbers and a recommendation to the finance committee and council.