Randy Hall presented budgets on behalf of KABS and Kosciusko County Head Start.

WARSAW — The Warsaw Common Council heard funding requests from local non-profits for the 2019 budget during the meeting held last night, Aug. 6.

During the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, representatives of 12 different non-profit organizations and causes presented thier financial needs to the board. Before the presentations, Council Member Diane Quance explained that the council is looking at how exactly the organizations will use the money and what benefits the residents will see.

“What we want to do is avoid the appearance that the city council is choosing your private charities for your tax monies to go to,” explained Quance. “That’s not the role of city government. The role of city government is to provide services for the citizens.”

Many non-profits have applied in previous years. The following are repeat organizations, thier requests and how much the funding has increased from last year.

• Kosciusko Community Services requested $20,000, up 14 percent from last year.
• Animal Welfare League requested $22,000, up 10 percent from last year.
• City County Athletic Complex requested $31,000, up 24 percent from last year.
• Kosciusko Area Bus Service requested $19,055, the same as last year.
• Warsaw Community Development Corporation requested $18,360, up 2 percent from last year.
• Warsaw Housing Authority requested $30,000, down 14 percent from last year.
• Housing Opportunites of Warsaw requested $7,000, the same as last year.
• Lilly Center of Lakes and Streams requested $20,000, up 33 percent from last year.
• The Beaman Home requested $15,000, up $200 percent from last year.

The council heard new requests Warsaw Little League and Kosciusko County Head Start.

Kosciusko County Head Start requested $10,000. The organization serves 175 children annually, 121 of those children reside in Warsaw this year. Of the children enrolled for the upcoming school year 46 are diagnosed with educational disabilities, 20 live in foster care or extended family and 13 are homeless.

Randy Hall stated that the funding would help finance unfunded operating needs of the program and assist the program in meetings its local match requirement of 25 percent.

Warsaw Little League requested $5,000. Andy McCleary, president, explained that he recently got involved with the program and discovered many existing issues. One of his main concerns is the safety of the park. The organization is requesting funds specifically to redo the park’s asphalt, which he described as both a safety and aesthetic issue. He estimed the whole project at $60,000.

When asked if he planned to request money in the future, McCleary stated that he has mutiple future projects that could cost up to $300,000. Some of these future items included installing netting for foul balls and replacing the old wooden lightposts.

The council will now review the budgets and come to a decision on specific funding amounts at a later date.

Pictured, far right, is new Animal Welfare League Executive Director Katey Wilks Zemen.