City to give $15K to soccer club, fund other nonprofits

Maricopa City Council approved setting aside $72,500 May 20 for nonprofits in its 2014-15 budget, going against, in one case, the recommendation of its Citizen Evaluation Team.

The council gave the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter $7,500, Barcelona AZ Maricopa $15,000, and $25,000 each to Environmental Concerns Organization Inc. and Maricopa Community Alliance Against Substance Abuse. 

Mary Witkofski, the city's community programs manager, said the Citizen Evaluation Team recommended funding all the programs for the full amount requested, with the exception of Barcelona AZ Maricopa.

The Citizen Evaluation Team recommended minimum funding of $5,000 to Mesa, Ariz.-based Barcelona AZ Maricopa because it had “difficulty seeing the need and ability in reaching everyone, concerns with the cost per child, (there was) no letter of support from the city and concerns if the city is aware of the project, concerns with an unrealistic budget and suggest a lower level of funding (and) concerns with comments in (its) budget on applying for funding to build a reserve fund,” as stated in the staff report.

Mayor Christian Price said the idea behind the city funding nonprofits is to give them an initial “jumpstart.” The question is whether the program survive without funding in future years.

Club president and director of coaching Cortney Kellenaers said support for the program will grow over time.
 
Barcelona AZ Maricopa is a soccer club for youth that has been in operation for two seasons. The club, which currently has 90 members, is affiliated with Barcelona AZ and uses its nonprofit status.

In relation to the committee’s concerns, Kellenaers said the cost per child the club charges are “actually extremely fair.”

He said he gave the city examples of what other clubs in the area charge and some are “almost double” what Barcelona AZ Maricopa charges.

He said he did not ask for a letter of support from the city because he had met with city staff several times and he knew the city supports what the club does.

“The club’s CEO put together the budget (presented to the committee) based on what they spent,” he said, responding to criticism that the budget was unrealistic.

“I don’t know whether (the committee) understands what the club does – it is a soccer club, not a soccer team,” he said.

“We teach the skills necessary to play at a professional level,” he said.

“The club has a curriculum in place developed for soccer players from age 6 to 18 based on age-appropriate learning objectives and skill appropriate learning objectives,” he said.

He said the request for a funding reserve was made to help maintain the organization’s health for many years to come, since the city does not fund nonprofits on a continuing basis.