Alliance City Council members unanimously approved $50,000 in contingency funds for Keep Alliance Beautiful during their May 3 meeting. The additional financial assistance provided through this resolution (No. 22-26) will allow the non-profit organization to continue operations within the City.
KAB formally contacted the municipal government for monetary support, beyond the City’s existing annual funding, in the weeks after being denied a $93,342 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) for fiscal year 2022-23. The council resolution authorizes $12,500 of Council Contingency Funds be transferred to KAB this quarter, with remaining funds being included in the City’s 2022-23 FY budget and continued to be paid through quarterly installments, according to item “I” of the agenda. Vice Mayor Brian Mischnick moved to approve the request, with Councilwoman Annora Bentley seconding the motion. With no discussion, Mayor Mike Dafney and Councilmen Earl Jones and John McGhehey joined in a 5-0 vote in favor.
The City’s decision goes beyond replacing more than half of the anticipated grant, which had been awarded KAB annually for more than a decade. Every dollar from NET also qualified toward the match necessary for KAB’s other major grant source – the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE). Now, the $50,000 in contingency funds will replace the unrealized NET monies and allow KAB to fulfill its matching obligation. For NDEE the public education and recycling grants take a 100 percent match while the department’s waste grant requires 50 percent.
Keep Alliance Beautiful is grateful for the City’s continued support and investment in our organization, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Throughout the past three decades the relationship has benefitted both parties. By including KAB in its budget, the City recognizes our educational efforts (now reaching a second generation), beautification and recycling infrastructure that promote a cleaner community while keeping hundreds of tons of material out of the landfill. During the first quarter of 2022, the KAB Recycling Center processed and shipped 166,152 pounds in 10 categories (in pounds): cardboard (84,500), No. 1-7 plastics (5,535), milk jugs (7,560), steel/tin cans (3,625), aluminum cans (2,973), fiber board (9,500), mixed paper (33,471), electronics (2,155), glass (14,041) and Hefty Energy Bags (2,792).
Though KAB serves a unique role as an area recycling hub, the few materials we profit on (cardboard, milk jugs and aluminum) still dictate our operations be subsidized by other sources. The City has kept the window open, allowing our organization to pursue additional grants and investment while serving our neighbors. We are excited to have an opportunity to explore new avenues as we “encourage people to reduce, reuse, and recycle every day to improve and beautify their community environment.”