And How People Can Fund Them Through Donations
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A friend of mine posted on Facebook the other day that she “was ashamed to live in a town that didn’t support it’s non-profits.”
I agree.
But I don’t think the town government budget should supply that support. Here’s why.
- Public money is just that. Public. It is derived from taxes that are collected from the citizens of that town. This money doesn’t just appear out of the clear blue sky. Someone had to earn it. It is money designed to carry out the functions of government, public safety, infrastructure, flood prevention, water, sewer, etc. It is NOT designed to support museums, event venues, scholarships in individual’s names, etc.
- Government shouldn’t get to decide which non-profits to support. This leads to favoritism and unequal treatment of certain citizens who may be heavily involved in that non-profit. It also leads to corruption in town government as officials MAY get special perks from those non-profits. This is not an allegation, just a possibility.
- Non-profits are set up with tax exempt status so they can raise funds for their organization. So, while the regular business or individual has no such tax-exempt status, non-profits do. Some non-profits donors can use that to give themselves a tax break for supporting that business. This is what most do. They can charge membership or sell tickets to events. For example, our local fire department raises funds so they can continue to protect the town with emergency services. Their fundraising activities are impressive and successful. There is a clear case for the town to support THEM with a donation since they fall under the category of public safety, but they still get out there and fundraise.
- The Town has already has essentially free lease agreements on the land with some, not all, of these non-profits. This is a rather hefty donation.
- The Town of Oxford has NO capital fund reserves to protect against a major flooding or other catastrophic event and needs to start one. However, the town budget with all kinds of infrastructure and other repairs and needs, has very little room for that if it continues to support non-profits. Cuts need to be made. This stems from reckless and needless spending in the past from former administrative staff of the town for the past 12 or so years. Other towns in our area see that they need a capital fund to address flooding, but Oxford seems to think it doesn’t need that except for ONE commissioner, Commissioner Greer.
- PRIORITIES! The common person understands that sometimes when there is a shortage of money, decisions need to be made regarding those things that are vital and those things that are luxuries. Flood prevention and long neglected infrastructure projects are necessities. Non-profits other than the fire company are luxuries. We should be thankful for Commissioners who are not afraid to make this tough decision!
- Finally, most of these non-profits have huge endowments in the millions of dollars. They can afford to fund themselves, repair their own buildings, etc. Plus, like we said, they have the ability to fundraise. The only way the Town of Oxford can raise funds is through raising taxes and collecting fees. Collecting fees won’t garner enough money. Residents are already straining to pay taxes. Here are two articles that share the IRS information regarding the Oxford Community Center and the Oxford Museum. Oxford Town Commissioners Fund Local Non-Profits Despite Desperate Need To Establish A Capital Fund For Flooding – The Easton Gazette, Letter To The Oxford Commissioners: The Truth About Local Non-Profit Donations – The Easton Gazette It’s doubtful that the town withholding contributions will end these groups.
These organizations are valuable to many in town. Some of the citizens, like the one quoted at the beginning of this article, are quite passionate about donating to them. So, we have created a “GO FUND ME” to allow them to do so. We have set our goal at $32000 and already have donors. This is an opportunity for citizens to donate to these non-profits without negatively impacting our town’s ability to fund needed projects and building our capital fund.
We hope you will contribute!
Fundraiser by Janet Greenhawk : Support Oxford’s Vital Non-profits
The post Why The Oxford Government Should NOT Fund Non-Profits Other Than The Fire Department appeared first on The Easton Gazette.
