As they do during every budget discussion, the decisions about contributions to outside agencies occupied a sizable chunk of the town board’s discussions during the mid-year retreat.
          Commissioner Margaret Stinnett was blunt. “I would cut them all off.” Commissioner Frank Drake said the comments he hears are to “fire them all, export them, shoot them.”
          As Town Manager Mark Williams noted, those contributions amount to only one-tenth of a percent of the budget.
          Although commissioners questioned the small contributions (see the complete list at the end of this article), Mayor Vivian Jones said they were avoiding the bigger problem. “I thought people were concerned about the amount of money we give to the DRC (Downtown Revitalization Corporation) and the chamber.”
          In this year’s budget the town allocated $96,640 to the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce for economic development and $102,725 to the DRC for salaries and overhead. The 2010-2011 general fund budget is $29,85,280 without the separate Wake Forest Power and special revenue funds.
          “I would think they could combine the areas on economic development,” Jones said after commissioners asked questions about the original funding and plans for the DRC.
          In the end, the decision was to set up a committee composed of two representatives each from the DRC and the chamber and three town board members: Jones, Stinnett and Commissioner Anne Hines.
          Some of the contributions listed with outside agencies in the past have been incorporated into appropriate town departments. The Wake Forest Fire Department’s 10 cents of the tax rate and its budget appear under Public Safety. Wake County’s transportation program TRACS is included in the Engineering Department budget, and the appropriation for the United Arts Council is in the Parks and Recreation Department because they jointly sponsor several art-related events each year.
          This is the fourth of five years the town will contribute $110,000 to the Wake Forest College Birthplace Society if the group proves it has sufficient other contributions.
          The other outside agencies funded this year are:
                   Resources for Seniors, $3,000 because the group provides the staffing and programs for the Northern Wake Senior Center which the town owns. Without Resources for Seniors, the town would have to staff and operate the center.
                   Fourth of July Committee, $4,000 toward the annual event although they requested $6,000 this year.
                   Kids Voting, $1,600, an item the town manager questioned, asking what the direct benefit to the town is.
                   The Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club, $7,500. There were no comments about this.
          Generally the commissioners wondered if there was a way to set up a criteria to judge the requests for town funds.