Handful of organizations gain added dollars as Laguna council adopts two-year budget

Budget time in Laguna Beach means doling out dollars for nonprofits in the the city’s annual community assistance grant program.

The City Council on Tuesday adjusted funding levels for a handful of organizations as part of the larger task of approving a two-year budget, which it did in a unanimous vote.

The city had $21,270 remaining after a subcommittee of Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Boyd and Councilman Steve Dicterow suggested funding levels that earmarked $265,450 for the grants.

Each year, the City Council awards grants to aid local nonprofit organizations, such as social service, cultural, sports, senior and youth groups.

Of the $21,270, the council approved $10,000 for Laguna’s HIV Advisory Committee, $6,000 for Friends of Laguna Beach Library, and an additional $1,000 each to the Laguna Beach Historical Society and Seaside Legal Services.

Council members agreed not to spend the remaining $3,270.

Even though the HIV Advisory Committee and Friends of the Laguna Beach Library had not requested any funding, Boyd said they should not be left out.

“We’ve always contributed to [the HIV Committee],” Boyd said. “I think there was just a mistake because we had changed over from the application system to an online system so there was a glitch in there somewhere.”

For Friends of the Laguna Beach Library, Boyd said President Martha Lydick always has put the grant together, but this year had to care for an ill family member.

Last year the council awarded $14,000 to the HIV Committee and $12,000 to Friends of the Laguna Beach Library, according to city documents.

“We don’t normally reward people for being late, but these were exceptional circumstances,” Dicterow said.

Mayor Toni Iseman suggested an additional $1,000 to go with the $3,000 recommended by Boyd and Dicterow for Seaside Legal Services, which provides pro bono advice to clients.

An extra $1,000 will go toward Laguna Beach Historical Society’s suggested amount of $1,000.

The council approved increased police and animal service fees, such raising the fingerprinting fee from $15 to $25, and set aside $251,252 to help the South Laguna Civic Assn. eventually purchase land for a permanent home for the South Laguna Community Garden Park.

Laguna’s operating and capital projects budget totals $94.2 million in 2017-18 and $96.3 million in 2018-19.

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Twitter: @AldertonBryce