By NICK BUDD
Hays Post
Hays City Commissioners will begin working on the 2015 budget at Thursday’s work session.
According to Assistant City Manager Paul Briseno, outside agencies will begin the process by presenting their requests, which total $445,755 — a $5,247 increase from 2014:
Below is a breakdown of each outside agencies request:
Local Agency Funding-2015 Request-$166,000: Funding for support programs and services provided by health and human service organizations that help out with services provided by the city. Organizations include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Access Transportation, First Call For Help, Hays Senior Center, American Red Cross, Options, CASA of the High Plains, Cancer Council of Ellis County and Western Kansas Association on the Concerns of the Disabled.
2014 Funding:164,000
Fort Hays State University-2015 Request-$100,000-Funds the Hays City Silver Scholarship Program, which provides 85 new and 40 renewed scholarships to students each year.
2014 Funding-$100,000
Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development-2015 Request-$87-550-Funding for general costs of economic development activities such as grant writing, meetings with businesses to help with growth, and renewed relations with outside investment services to help fund recruitment activities to bring businesses to the Hays area
2014 Funding-$87,550
Downtown Hays Development Corporation-2015 Request-$53,655-Funding for the general costs of managing the organization such as the coordination of community volunteers, program management and the protection of downtown investments made by the city of Hays and others.
2014 Funding-$53,655
Ellis County Historical Society-2015 Request-$12,000-Funding to continue the operation of the Hays Fire Department Museum, assist with the hiring of a bookkeeper, and money to continue storing some of the Sternberg Museum artifacts and general enhancements to programming and exhibits.
2014 Funding-$11,621
Hays Arts Council-2015 Request-$12,000-Funding for general programming by the Arts Council such as the Smoky Hill Photo Competition, Five State Photo Competition, Famous Figures Contest, Kansas Day Activities, and other activities.
2014 Funding-$11,182
Wild West Festival-2015 Request-$9,500-Funding for the fireworks, show, insurance and accounting for the annual Wild West Festival in Hays.
2014 Funding-$9,500
Hays Sister Cities Advisory Board-2015 Request-$5,050-Funding for international dues, attendance at the Sister Cities Annual Conference, marketing and public relations, office supplies, Community Connections and the Fall Picnic, diversity awareness and partner relationships and other costs associated with the organization. The full strategic plan of the organization can be found in the Agenda packet on page 65.
2014 Funding-$3,000
The total amount requested by all of the agencies combined is $445,755, an increase of $5,247 from the 2014 total funding level of $445,755. If approved, the money will come out of the Social Services, Economic Development, Quality of Life or Alcohol Tax budgets.