ThisWeek CW 11/13/2014

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/11/10/budget-becoming-critical-for-historical-society.html

The Canal Winchester Historical Society’s budget issues appear to be worsening, prompting one city council member to wonder if it’s not time for the group to seek voter approval of a levy.

The historical society, which oversees the complex of historical buildings at the corner of North High and West Oak streets, as well as the National Barber Museum at 2 S. High St., currently operates on an annual budget of about $17,000, according to the organization’s treasurer, Jeanette Schneider.

She said most of that is used to pay the society’s rent, insurance and utility bills.

“There are no salaries and no improvements in that,” Schneider said.

The historical society has in the past counted on support from the city through its bed tax grant program and, to a much smaller degree, money raised from the annual Ghost Tour, a golf outing and paid admissions to the National Barber Museum.

However, historical society President Mike Ippoliti and city officials indicated at the Nov. 3 Canal Winchester City Council meeting that this was the final year for both the Ghost Tour and the golf outing because they were not effective fundraisers for the amount of effort put into them.

And although the group received a $10,000 bed-tax grant this year, it won’t be able to apply for the same funding in the future because of changes in how the bed-tax grants will be awarded: Canal Winchester City Council will consider only specific projects for the funding, as opposed to subsidizing organizational operations.

During earlier discussions about altering the bed-tax grant program, council asked city Finance Director Amanda Jackson to create a line item for the Canal Winchester Historical Society in the city budget.

Jackson, who did not attend the Nov. 3 council meeting, provided a written report recommending a $10,000 general fund line item along with an additional $2,000 as seed money for the historical society in 2015. That’s less than its current $17,000 budget and — according to Councilman Joe Abbott — far less than the organization really needs.

Abbott said his talks with Ippoliti about what the society requires to properly maintain the facilities it owns and to expand its outreach programs revealed the amount would be closer to $50,000.

“We were all questioning coming up with $10,000 and seeing how we could make that work, but $50,000 — I don’t know where they’ll get that from,” Abbott said.

Councilwoman Bobbie Mershon said the local historical society is trying to negotiate with some national groups for funding, but she believes it is time to ask residents what they want to see happen, potentially through a levy.

“For that kind of money, I think it’s got to be like that, and that will give answer to whether residents even want this,” Mershon said. “We could end up tearing (the buildings) all down if nobody cares. If there are people that care, then are they willing to pay via a levy?”

Councilman Steve Donahue said he is concerned about the historical society defaulting, leaving the facilities to potentially fall further into disrepair. Ultimately, those buildings would become the city’s problem, he said.

“I’ve said it numerous times before that if these things fall apart, we have to decide if the city picks it up or what,” Donahue said.

Council asked that city staff put together a report of expenses and potential bud- gets related to the historical society for the next finance committee meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15, at Town Hall, 10 N. High St.