How Mountain View spent $13k in private donations

The spending of private donations has recently come under scrutiny in the city of Mountain View since a special meeting of the Board of Aldermen on Jan. 31 revealed that City Hall has spent more than $13,000 in private donations without a city council action to approve it. 

Missouri law requires all public money, including funds received from private donors, to be budgeted in a public process. A private individual has donated $40,000 to the city since October 2020. Following the discovery of the mishandling and illegal spending of the funds, the Board of Aldermen is scheduled to amend the 2022 budget on Feb. 14. On Jan. 31, they voted to place $20,000 received in December 2021 into the parks fund. The same individual donated $20,000 on October 23, 2020 as well.

The Board of Aldermen should have publicly voted to place the donations in a specific municipal fund and amended both the 2021 and 2022 city budgets accordingly, said City Attorney Deedra Nicholson on Jan. 31. Discussion at this meeting confirmed the 2021 budget was amended at the end of the year per standard procedure, but was not amended after the receipt or before the spending of the first donation.

Without approval from the Board of Aldermen, more than $13,000 of the sum donated in 2020 has been spent on projects in the city of Mountain View. 

According to a general ledger expense history report obtained from the city on Feb. 11, the city spent:

-$2,609.95 to paint the Mountain View Public Library on Oct. 27, 2020

-$200 to Kevin Pruett to powerwash the old VFW building on Oct. 30, 2020

-$5,867 to repair the library building on Dec. 8, 2020

-$1,600 for a new sign at the municipal airport on Dec. 29, 2020

-$116.24 at Mountain View Lumber on Dec. 31, 2020. The expense report from the city does not specify further.

-$3,006.54 to Miller Electric for shoebox LED lights on Jan. 31. 2021

The Board of Aldermen is scheduled to address the remaining $6,602.27 from the 2020 donation in the Feb. 14 meeting. The donation received in 2021 has not yet been spent. 

Already in the parks fund, the remaining sum will likely be spent on renovations at Veterans Park, in accordance with the donor's wishes. The tentative agenda for the Feb 14. meeting includes a contractor’s proposal for these renovations.