Flagstaff mulling cuts to nonprofit agencies

PHOENIX — The Flagstaff City Council will meet Tuesday to discuss where about $1.5 million in nonprofit funding will go.

Each non-profit has to prove they still need it.

“It’s always a matter of priorities and I want to make sure that the city takes care of its own house first,” said Flagstaff Mayor Jerry Nabours.

The mayor proposed a 10 percent cut to some non-profits, specifically the nearly $300,000 that the city is set to give to United Way this year. It’s a political hot potato, he said.

“It’s tough to say ‘We’re going to take money away from United Way,'” Nabours said. “‘Oh, you know, you don’t like non-profits’ [people might say], which of course is not true.”

The city’s police, fire, parks, city buildings and administration should come first, he said.

“I think that each individual should decide who they want to give their charitable donations to,” Nabours said.

The funding decisions should be clear by the end of April, though the city budget won’t be released until June. The money comes from the city’s general fund and a restaurant and hotel tax.