Bartlett sets new rules for nonprofits seeking funds

Bartlett nonprofit groups seeking village grants will now have to turn over their financials in a new, annual application intended to boost transparency.

Under guidelines unanimously approved by trustees Tuesday night, organizations have until Nov. 1 to provide a plan about how the money will be spent (village funds can't go toward paying for their operations). They also must give copies of their budget, bylaws and proof of their nonprofit status, among other paperwork.

“It's more directly tying the expenditure money into providing service to the community,” said Trustee Aaron Reinke, who chairs the village board's finance committee.

Six groups currently receive a total of about $36,600, or less than one percent of the village's budget. Before Tuesday's vote, the board didn't review individual requests for grants. Instead, trustees approved the funding when it approved the villagewide annual budget.

“There's no rhyme or reason to it,” Mayor Kevin Wallace said.

The measure approved Tuesday doesn't allocate money for nonprofits and doesn't apply to groups asking the police department to help with traffic control. But it adds “a level of transparency and a level of accountability to what was otherwise a rather simplified process,” Reinke said.

Trustee Vince Carbonaro backed the application as a “fair way of distributing funds” to civic groups. But he warned that he would only support earmarking money for two of the groups that run the village's Fourth of July celebration and Heritage Days because “they promote (the) village.”

“Why not postpone this venture until we are debt-free before we look for more ways to spend taxpayer money that are not for essential services?” said Carbonaro, reading from a prepared statement.

He acknowledged the funding usually represents a small percentage of the village's spending. But Carbonaro voiced concerns that a standard application would invite more groups to apply.

“Let's stay within our means,” he said.

In reviewing the applications, officials say they will give priority to groups that provide a service or program not offered by the village. If requests are approved, the funding would be set aside in the 2015-2016 budget.