Community Center requests transfer of funds for operating budget

Loss of revenue caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic has led the Madison Community Center to request a transfer of funds to supplement it’s operating budget.  

Madison City Commissioners heard a request during their meeting this week from Community Center Director Nick Hansen.  Hansen and the Community Center’s governing board asked commissioners to approve the use of more than 89-thousand dollars in Capital Outlay and Maintenance Reserve funds to supplement the Center’s operating budget.  Hansen said that memberships for the facility are down and they have been taking some measures to try to make up for some of the shortfall.

Hansen said the center was closed for seven weeks in the spring of 2020 and lost money then also in reimbursing memberships.  

Community Center Governing Board member Danny Frisby-Griffin said that not having the After School Program or summer program for several months also meant a loss of revenue coming in, along with people not coming in to use the facility or dropping their memberships because of the pandemic.  

Frisby-Griffin said they are actively working on trying to bring revenue back in, including holding a summer program for children this summer.  

Commissioner Adam Shaw made the motion Monday to transfer 60-percent of the more than 89-thousand requested from the reserve funds to the Community Center’s operating budget for the time being. 

The commission passed the motion by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Mike Waldner absent from Monday’s meeting.