Project Concern funding budgetPrei
3505 Stoneman Road · Suite #5 · Dubuque, iowa 52002-5218
Phone (563)588-3980. Fax (563)588-3982- E-mail: project.concern@pcrta.org
Mike VanMilligan, City Manager
City Hall
Dubuque IA 52001
Wednesday, May 21,2003
Dear Mike,
Please accept our thanks for the City of Dubuque fundJng support
given for many years to many service organizations through purchase
of service agreements. This sharing of city resources provides many
of us with invaluable cash match funds that we can then convert into
much larger total dollars. As a cash match, these funds provide a
service benefit to the community far exceeding the actual dollars
committed by the City- a WIN/WIN situation in its finest form.
The implications of losing the $5800 funding to Foster Grandparents
are significant. This will result in reduced services. This spring, due to
the increasing cost of transportation, we eliminated the half time staff
person that had supported the program for the past ten years. If City
funding is lost, we will have to drastically reduce the transportation
budget also.
Transportation costs have more than doubled in the last 18 months.
This was "col!ateral damage" resulting from the urban transit
conversion and the reduction in state transit operating assistance. The
Regional Transit Authority used to have a variety of "service
coordination" options to getting Foster Grandparents to their work
sites. Those coordination options and higher state funding assistance
used to allow RTA to provide this transportation at an average net cost
of $1.00 per ride. Now the average cost is between $2.00 and $3.00
per ride. The hard cash transportation budget has increased from
$8600 to $17,000.
Pg 1 of 2
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Al Urbain, Chair-Jim Waller, V Chair- Dave Gaylor, Treasurer--Jennifer Clemens, Secretary
Lori Bahl, Jerome Besler, Wallace Brown, Nancy Gourley, Steve Hamilton,
Dan Nicholson, Jerelyn O'Connor, Inga Schililng, Ruby Sutton,Craig Takes, Jori Thorns
Transportation of FGP to work sites is done for two reasons. More
than half our FGP have physical and financial limitations that don't
permit them to drive themselves. And nearly 75% of the Foster
Grandparents are placed in schools and sites that are not within
walking distance. This happens because we want our grandparents to
be located in the highest need areas. We also want our Foster
Grandparents to be placed in the environments where they can
personally be the most committed and effective. To reduce this cost
would require placing Foster Grandparents in less effective locations.
This would mean not addressing the most critical needs AND doing a
less effective job of matching FGP skills and passion with the serious
needs of at-risk youth. Actually, if we moved enough Foster
Grandparents to cover that cost reduction, we would also lose Foster
Grandparent placements due to the dissatisfaction of students, parents
and their teachers.
We understand the serious budgetary problems now facing the City of
Dubuque as a result of the controversial decisions made by the State
of Iowa to balance its budget at the expense of cities and counties.
We believe that, in fairness, all recipients of purchase of service
agreements paid out of the general fund should be trimmed in the
same manner as city departments. We believe that such a reduction
(in the neighborhood of 6%) is something we should all be asked to
live with. We all hope for improved financial circumstances next year.
Grate_fully,
Al Urbain
Board Chairperson
CC: MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL
Executive Director
Pg 2 of 2
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Al Urbain, Chair---Jim Waller, V Chair-- Dave Gaylor, Treasurer~Jennffer Clemens, Secretary
Lori Bahl, Jerome Besler, Wallace Brown, Nancy Gourley, Steve Hamilton,
Dan Nichaison, Jerelyn O Connor, Inga Schilling, Ruby Sutton,Craig Takes, Jori Thorns