[Vision2020] City of Moscow Gives Moscow Chamber of Commerce $10, 000

[Janice Willard]

Hi Visionaries,

This may be naive, as I don't know the entire history of this issue.
However, it seems to me that, besides expressing displeasure, there is
little that can be done about the decision that has been already made.
However, many people have brought up some issues at the Chamber that are not
in line with our city administration.  Two issues have been mentioned: the
lack of an anti-discrimination policy (and evidence that they adhere to the
policy) and the lack of fiscal responsibility and transparency.

The City of Moscow does have an anti-discrimination policy (and is expected
to follow it) and is answerable to its citizens for a transparent and
responsible use of taxpayer funds.  Therefore, the city should not be giving
taxpayer money to entities that do not live up to these standards.

It seems to me that the city council should pass some form of legislation
that states the minimum standards that an organization must demonstrate
before it can receive city funds.  And these minimum standards should at
least have a stated anti-discrimination policy and show transparent and
fiscally responsible accounting practices.  If this legislation were passed
before the next time that the Chamber asks for money, then the council has
"a legal leg to stand on" when they question the distribution of these funds
to the Chamber (or any other entity with questionable accounting of funds)
unless the Chamber can demonstrate that it has "cleaned up its act."  The
Chamber then would be put on notice that it has X amount of time (starting
when the legislation is passed) to demonstrate adherence to these minimum
standards or their next request for funds will be denied.  Community leaders
could assist the council in drafting the minimum standards.

This would make this less of an issue of personalities and more of an issue
of policy.

JW




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Melynda Huskey" <mghuskey at msn.com>
To: <johnd at moscow.com>; <sslund at adelphia.net>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Cc: <jmack at turbonet.com>; <lpall at moscow.com>; <nchaney at moscow.com>;
<pegh at uidaho.edu>; <comstock at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 9:23 AM
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] City of Moscow Gives Moscow Chamber of Commerce
$10,000


> Dear John,
>
> Thanks for the information about the Chamber's request.  It seems that
some
> of the confusion I have about the funding stems from my confusion about
what
> the Chamber is, or does. I thought it was a non-profit association which
> promoted local businesses, and which generated its own funds to do so.  I
> assumed it was accountable to its members, not to any outside agency.
>
> But if we've got some kind of agreement or contract with the Chamber to
> provide Visitor Center and "information clearinghouse" services for the
> City, that's obviously a different kettle of fish . . . and surely the
City
> provides some level of oversight or management for those services.  I'd be
> interested in knowing more about that relationship, and about the
Chamber's
> accountability to the City, and to taxpayers, for services provided.
>
> I'm very troubled that the Chamber has failed to establish an
> equal-opportunity and non-discrimination policy.  As others have pointed
> out, there's nothing very complicated or time-consuming about creating
such
> a policy; it was mentioned by the auditors as a step the Chamber needed to
> take; and given concerns expressed in the past about patterns of religious
> discrimination in hiring and contracting at the Chamber, it would have
been
> a good-faith step on the part of Chamber leadership.  Apparently they
didn't
> feel that it was a priority.  That disturbs me a great deal.
>
> Melynda Huskey
>
>
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