MONROE - Directors of the Monroe Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) Board want to know how the money it gave to Monroe Main Street (MMS) is being used.
BID pledged $25,000 to MMS for 2008 to promote the downtown district. The money was to be used for advertising and events.
But so far this year, MMS has spent $15,329 of its promotion budget, $7,545 of which came from sponsorships, promotion fees and merchandise sales.
That leaves about $17,000 that BID gave MMS that hasn't been used for promotion.
In a meeting Tuesday, BID President Sherrill Kelly said the board expected to see the 2009 MMS budget, but none was produced at the meeting.
BID member Barb Gelbach, also a volunteer on a MMS Promotion Committee, said MMS "hardly had any events in the first six months" of the year.
BID board member Robert Duxstad said he wanted accountability, and to see that "what was asked for in the last budget got done.
"What I want to see is the overall budget," Duxstad said.
Duxstad said when he could see "a line item budget," he would be able to see how the money was accounted and how active the Promotion Committee was in "addressing these things."
"Show me the numbers," he said.
"Monroe Main Street failed to spend the money BID gave them," Kelly said. "We need to make sure the money is allocated and it gets spent."
The explanation given by Mike Doyle, Dr. David Riese and Ryan Wilson, all members of the MMS Board of Directors and the BID board, revolved around the problems Monroe Main Street and its Promotion Committee were having with creating budgets and with fund raising approaches.
In effect, the committee didn't know how much money it could distribute among events next year, and discussed the issue at a meeting with the MMS board Monday.
"Show me your budget. As a BID member, I don't care," Duxstad said. "That's Main Street; we shouldn't even be discussing that here."
Riese, MMS Board chairman, responded to concerns about whether MMS was spending the money it was given.
"The entire budget, whether it is $10 or $100,000, is spent to enhance downtown," he said. "We want accountability, too, but let's not beat the thing to death. Go to Barb's (MMS Executive Director Barb Nelson) office and look at the (accounting reports).
"The budget will be presented when it's appropriate for our board," Riese told Duxstad.
"We have to tell the city what our budget is in November. I'm sorry if that forces MMS (to get their budget ready)," Duxstad said. "We have a responsibility as BID to know where we're sending our money. State law requires that we assess this year for next year."
Doyle said the MMS Promotion Committee is trying to build the 2009 budget "from the bottom up."
Once the sub-committees submit their projected expenses for events, the Promotion Committee will present its proposed budget to the MMS Board, he said.
BID pledged $25,000 to MMS for 2008 to promote the downtown district. The money was to be used for advertising and events.
But so far this year, MMS has spent $15,329 of its promotion budget, $7,545 of which came from sponsorships, promotion fees and merchandise sales.
That leaves about $17,000 that BID gave MMS that hasn't been used for promotion.
In a meeting Tuesday, BID President Sherrill Kelly said the board expected to see the 2009 MMS budget, but none was produced at the meeting.
BID member Barb Gelbach, also a volunteer on a MMS Promotion Committee, said MMS "hardly had any events in the first six months" of the year.
BID board member Robert Duxstad said he wanted accountability, and to see that "what was asked for in the last budget got done.
"What I want to see is the overall budget," Duxstad said.
Duxstad said when he could see "a line item budget," he would be able to see how the money was accounted and how active the Promotion Committee was in "addressing these things."
"Show me the numbers," he said.
"Monroe Main Street failed to spend the money BID gave them," Kelly said. "We need to make sure the money is allocated and it gets spent."
The explanation given by Mike Doyle, Dr. David Riese and Ryan Wilson, all members of the MMS Board of Directors and the BID board, revolved around the problems Monroe Main Street and its Promotion Committee were having with creating budgets and with fund raising approaches.
In effect, the committee didn't know how much money it could distribute among events next year, and discussed the issue at a meeting with the MMS board Monday.
"Show me your budget. As a BID member, I don't care," Duxstad said. "That's Main Street; we shouldn't even be discussing that here."
Riese, MMS Board chairman, responded to concerns about whether MMS was spending the money it was given.
"The entire budget, whether it is $10 or $100,000, is spent to enhance downtown," he said. "We want accountability, too, but let's not beat the thing to death. Go to Barb's (MMS Executive Director Barb Nelson) office and look at the (accounting reports).
"The budget will be presented when it's appropriate for our board," Riese told Duxstad.
"We have to tell the city what our budget is in November. I'm sorry if that forces MMS (to get their budget ready)," Duxstad said. "We have a responsibility as BID to know where we're sending our money. State law requires that we assess this year for next year."
Doyle said the MMS Promotion Committee is trying to build the 2009 budget "from the bottom up."
Once the sub-committees submit their projected expenses for events, the Promotion Committee will present its proposed budget to the MMS Board, he said.