HOPE — Hope officials have reorganized a new committee that recommends how one-quarter of Hope’s income tax revenue is spent.
Besides selecting new committee members, the Hope Town Council also approved a motion that five well-established and popular events automatically receive money without having to appear before the committee.
In that same motion, council member Clyde Compton also requested the formation of two new $1,500 scholarships for seniors at Hauser High School. Council members unanimously approved Compton’s motion.
The scholarships, which can be used for either trade schools or traditional colleges, will be awarded to Hauser seniors from low-income families residing within the Flatrock-Hawcreek School Corp., Compton said.
Final decisions on recipients will be made by members of the high school’s guidance department, he said.
Three of the four people who will join Compton on the Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) committee represent different wards within the northeast Bartholomew County town of 2,100 residents.
Andrea Wallace (Ward One), Joyce Henderson (Ward 2), Pam May (Ward 3) and John Walstad (at-large) were chosen by their council representative to serve on the committee.
The five events that will automatically receive annual income tax revenue at pre-set amounts are:
Hope Heritage Days: ($20,000)
Old Fashioned Independence Day: ($5,000)
Farmers’ Market and Cruise-in: (2,100)
Goodies, Goblins and Ghosts: ($1,300)
Christmas of Yesteryear: ($750)
With the exception of Christmas of Yesteryear, the amounts were determined by averaging out how much each organization had received in recent years — and adding a small increase, Compton said.
If the amount of income tax revenue received by the town changes, the council will make necessary adjustments, he said.
For about 10 years, the EDIT committee has considered funding applications from community groups or individuals seeking to hold events or carry out projects intended to enhance economic development. The town distributes about $70,000 a year to applicants, which is about 25 percent of the income tax revenue Hope receives every year, according to town records.
Efforts at reorganization began last spring after two committee members, Dave Miller and Vicki Tedder, resigned because neither resides within the Hope town limits. Tedder and Miller stepped down one month after Michele Clark left after a majority of the council concluded the committee was too large.
Some council members said they felt a number of committee members had been there too long, Compton said after Tuesday’s council meeting.
Minutes from previous meetings also state alleged or perceived conflicts of interest because some decision makers were personally involved in activities receiving public funding.
