After there recent disbandment, members of the Orion/Oxford Community Coalition knew they wouldn’t be needing funds allocated to them for 2004 by Orion Township for community services; so they have asked the board of trustees to give their money to Orion Area Youth Assistance.
The board had voted to allocate $3,600 to the coalition under its 2004 community services contracts. Youth Assistance has already been allocated $4,500 by the township, and the board agreed to transfer the coalition’s funds to them.
Coalition President Gary Binzer said it had a similar mission, and because youth assistance had experienced a major loss of funding for 2004.
‘Due to the school district’s budget cuts…and the village…both entities have notified that they will not be able to give us a contribution this year,? said youth assistance chair Derek Mazur. ‘We were getting $25,000 from the school and $1,000 from the village. The school is still giving us an in-kind donation of office space.?
Clerk Jill Bastian said she was familiar with OAYA from having served on its board.
‘When I was brought onto that board, it was my understanding that it was a four-pronged support system…now they (those areas of support) can just choose not to?,? she asked.
Mazur said a contract of support had been signed and that youth assistance was currently working to obtain those documents.
‘I want it on our record what the short fall was,? Bastian said.