The city council is looking at ways to better track how organizations receiving city funding use that money.
Monday night, Council Vice President Norieliz DeJesus introduced a motion asking that the city manager work with relevant departments to develop and implement a system through which agencies, organizations, and programs receiving city funding are able to record outcomes, impact, and direct community services provided through the use of city funds. The order also asks that the system include measurable outcomes, such as the number of Chelsea residents served and the impact of the programs that can easily be presented to the city council.
“This comes forward as something that in previous terms we have talked about,” said DeJesus.
DeJesus noted there have been past conversations with councilors Kelly Garcia, Tanairi Garcia, and Todd Taylor about ways to increase transparency about how taxpayer money is used.
“I am really grateful to have the manager and the department heads do the work that they do on the daily to ensure that all of our council priorities are met, and I look forward to put some names and faces to the impacts and the services that our families depend on in the community,” said DeJesus.
Kelly Garcia said it’s important to have transparency, and that she was looking forward to seeing more information about the impact of city funds used to help residents and local families.
Council President Roberto Jimenez-Rivera said the city manager will work with the relevant departments and DeJesus on the order, and that any information provided by the city manager could be discussed further in a subcommittee meeting.
“The city manager and I have had many discussions in various subcommittees regarding not only transparency, but also accountability with actually getting the data by the city from the nonprofits and other places where our money is going to be spent to get actual results for the programs being administered by these nonprofits,” said Taylor.
Taylor said that information should be used to determine if the city is making any progress with the money it hands out or if it needs to rethink how it is being spent.
“I know that the last two years, as the chairman of the ways and means committee, I asked several times for this,” said Taylor. “I know it can’t be done overnight, I know it is a lot of additional work for our department heads, but I think it is necessary for the city manager to provide the data back to the city council. We’re going to be going into budget hearings fairly shortly, and I think this is a really important component in deciding, especially in a year like this where we need to tighten our belts (that) we do not want to be giving away money that is not well spent.”