Mar 15, 2024 By Mike Jones 3 min read

The Local Share Account committee is asking former commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan, who now serves as City Mission’s president and CEO, to answer questions about the nonprofit’s plans to build a women’s shelter in Washington and why it should receive a $500,000 grant.

Irey Vaughan will address the committee during a virtual meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday after the county commissioners asked the LSA committee’s members last week to reconsider City Mission’s grant application requesting a piece of the $9.2 million in casino gambling revenue.

Jeff Kotula, who is president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency and serves as the LSA committee chair, said the meeting is to “address the committee’s questions over the project’s readiness, availability of additional dollars to complete the shelter, and the alignment of the application with the county’s comprehensive plan.”

City Mission’s application apparently is the only one under consideration during next week’s meeting, so no other projects that were rejected the first time are being reviewed. The LSA committee’s meeting with Irey Vaughan will be available to view online using a link posted on the county’s official website.

“The committee has requested Ms. Irey Vaughan bring any necessary financial information or other documentation to support and clarify their application,” Kotula said in a written statement Wednesday.

Irey Vaughan, who served as a county commissioner for 28 years before retiring in January, started in the top position earlier this month to lead the City Mission. She said Thursday she’s ready to state the case to the LSA committee about why City Mission, which helps the homeless population in the county, should receive the $500,000 grant it had requested.

“We’re preparing to answer their questions and preparing the info that has been requested,” Irey Vaughan said. “We’re confident that upon the review, the need in the community, the funding we have and adherence to the county comprehensive plan, that the board will restore the funding.”

It’s unclear how the county’s comprehensive plan, which was passed in September when Irey Vaughan was on the board, plays into the LSA committee’s review.

The issue over the City Mission’s grant arose last month after Commissioner Larry Maggi questioned why an initial list of recommended projects from the LSA committee dated Jan. 30 showed that nonprofit was included in the projects to receive $500,000 in funding to help build its 50-bed women’s shelter. However, when the LSA committee voted during its Feb. 6 meeting, the City Mission’s application had been removed and there was $8.7 million in funds allocated rather than the full $9.2 million available.

The commissioners unanimously approved the LSA committee’s recommendations to fund 50 projects during their Feb. 15 despite Maggi’s objections to the change. However, he once again asked that the issue be revisited during the commissioners’ March 7 meeting, and they agreed to ask the LSA committee to reconvene soon to reconsider the City Mission’s application.

“The committee will honor the commissioners’ recommendation to limit its review solely to the City Mission’s application,” Kotula said.

The commissioners will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday to consider the issue, although it won’t be known until after the LSA committee’s meeting the day before whether City Mission’s application will be recommended for approval. The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington, which oversees the LSA funds, has until March 31 to submit the list of projects to the state Department of Community and Economic Development for final approval.