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Mounds View City Council February 14, 2005 <br />Regular Meeting Page 3 <br /> <br />Mayor Marty stated that the other organizations had been helping far more than 59 select people 1 <br />each year. He stated that the other organizations had forwarded onto Merrick, Inc. some of the 2 <br />requests for assistance that they hadn’t been able to accommodate, and that Merrick, Inc. had not 3 <br />answered these requests for assistance. He also stated that a Special Ed teacher at Edgewood 4 <br />Middle School had submitted a grant application to Merrick, which had been denied because 5 <br />Merrick had stated that they only help the developmentally disabled, and not all of her students 6 <br />are developmentally disabled. He stated he would like to have more verification as to how these 7 <br />funds are actually coming into the trade area in the amount of 75 percent. 8 <br /> 9 <br />Mr. Barker stated that he could work with City staff in providing the information on a month-to-10 <br />month or an annual basis for their review. He stated that Merrick, Inc. provides services to adults 11 <br />with developmental disabilities, so it is perhaps selective, but that is their mission and purpose. 12 <br />He stated that what they do is very important to the 59 residents of Mounds View. 13 <br /> 14 <br />Mayor Marty stated he was not trying to make light of these 59 individuals, but these other 15 <br />organizations help literally thousands. 16 <br /> 17 <br />Council Member Stigney stated whether Merrick, Inc. is always the payee of the checks. 18 <br /> 19 <br />Mr. Barker stated that the payee is always Merrick, Inc. because the individuals that they serve 20 <br />are on Medicaid funding, and there is a limited amount of personal money that they can have on a 21 <br />day-to-day basis. He stated that of the approximately $11,000 that they had made in profits in 22 <br />2004, over $10,000 of that, or 92 percent, was spent for the benefit of the 59 people who live or 23 <br />work within the trade area, so they had met the obligation and the spirit of the City Code as a 24 <br />nonprofit organization. 25 <br /> 26 <br />Council Member Stigney asked what specific benefits of funding are going to the City of Mounds 27 <br />View in the overall trade area other than what is listed for Merrick, Inc.’s clients. 28 <br /> 29 <br />Mr. Barker stated that the owner of Roberts feels that their business has increased due to the 30 <br />operation, and the taxes to the city are based on the proceeds and the profit of the site. 31 <br /> 32 <br />Council Member Stigney stated that he didn’t know the details of the scheduling and reporting, 33 <br />but overall he had questions about why there wasn’t money going directly to the City of Mounds 34 <br />View for other activities and things in the trade area. 35 <br /> 36 <br />Mr. Barker stated the benefit to the City is that the tax is generated through this activity, the 37 <br />business is enhanced at Roberts, and the fact that they are using over 90 percent of the proceeds 38 <br />for the services to those 59 individuals. He stated that they can disagree over the fact that those 39 <br />funds have the same impact as using the funds for other purposes, but that is how they are 40 <br />directing those funds. He stated that it would be easier to explain how the funds were used with 41 <br />an overhead. 42 <br /> 43 <br />Council Member Gunn suggested that they do that at their next Work Session. 44 <br /> 45