Friends of the Museums and the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority received a couple of late Christmas gifts during the current Marietta City Council's final meeting of the 2008-2009 term on Tuesday.
All seven members voted unanimously to support a request for $25,000 from Friends of the Museums toward a $310,000 budget to operate the Campus Martius and Ohio River museums over the next three years.
"The museums are an integral part of our community, and it's a good decision for us to support this effort," Councilman Andy Thompson, R-at large, said prior to council's approval of the measure.
"I want to thank council for helping us as we worked on a solution for the museums, and we appreciate your support," added Jean Yost, chairman of the Friends of the Museums management committee.
The group took over management of the museums in October after state budget cuts to the Ohio Historical Society threatened closure of the museums unless a local partnership could be formed to continue operation of the facilities.
Earlier this month Yost and other Friends of the Museum board members announced the beginning of fundraising efforts to support the more than $100,000 needed annually to operate the museums.
On Dec. 11 the group asked council's finance committee to help get the fundraising ball rolling by contributing $25,000.
The committee members supported the idea, but some voiced concern that the museums would need another $25,000 next year and the city may not be able to contribute that amount.
In the end it was decided the general fund could support the request this year, but any further museum funding decisions would be left up to the incoming council that will take office on Friday.
Friends of the Museums board member Roger Hall said earlier this month that the goal is for the museums to eventually become self-sustaining entities.
Port authority vote
Council also approved, by a 5-2 vote, a $10,000 request to help fill a gap in the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority's 2010 budget.
Councilmen Tom Vukovic, D-4th Ward, and Harley Noland, D-at large, voted against the request.
"I expressed some concerns about this request in (finance) committee," Vukovic said following the vote. "I'm concerned that we're now making grants to public agencies. I would like to believe that this $10,000 will make a difference for the port authority, but that's hard to believe in this economy. We should be putting this money into our own development department."
Noland did not comment after Tuesday's vote, but earlier in the month he said he felt the port authority, which obtained funding to develop a business park near Reno, would be in competition with other business park owners in the private sector.
Dave Haas, president of the SEOPA board of directors, was grateful for the funding.
"Every bit helps," he said. "We've had to make cuts, including slashing our (marketing) budget, because we had to pay our utilities and other bills."
Haas said that hurts because part of the port authority's mission is to "sell" the Washington County and Marietta areas in order to attract more businesses.
Councilwoman Kathy Shively, D-at large, said she voted in favor of the port authority's request "because I understand the urgency to close the budget gap. But if you bring another request like this before council again, I would suggest you ask for (Community Development Block Grant) funding."
Councilman Jon Grimm, R-3rd Ward, said he believed council had made two good decisions by supporting the museums and port authority.
"I look at these as investments and expect we will get a good return," he said.
In other action
In other business council unanimously approved:
An annual bill that allows any unappropriated income tax revenues obtained between Dec. 31 and Jan. 31 to be placed in the general fund instead of the capital improvement fund.
A 15-year joint Southeastern Ohio Waste Management Plan.
An agreement with the Ohio Department of Development to continue operation of a housing revolving loan fund program.
A resolution designating the Washington/Morgan Community Action Agency as the local public housing agency.
Legislation setting third-party billing fees for city fire department ambulance runs at $600 for a Basic Life Support run; $777 for Advanced Life Support I runs; and $976 for Advanced Life Support II runs. The ordinance also sets a mileage billing rate of $13.50 per mile for ambulance runs from the pickup location to the hospital.
Mayor Michael Mullen and the council members also thanked Councilman Randy Wilson, R-2nd Ward, for his service over the last two years. Tuesday was Wilson's last session as he lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Mike McCauley in November.
