Attachment 4
City Council Policy
Memorandum #2025-XX,
Community Promotional Fund
of 220 East Mountain View
Barstow, California 92311-2888
(760) 256-3531 City of Barstow
City Council Policy Memorandum
To: City Manager
From: City Council
CC: City Attorney
Date Adopted: August 19, 2025
Subject: City Council Policy Memorandum #2025-XX, Community Promotional Fund Policy
I. General Policy and Background
In the November 2018 general election, the City of Barstow electorate passed Measure Q, which required the City to adopt an ordinance increasing the City’s sales tax by one percent to provide funding for, without limitation, essential services, infrastructure maintenance, and community programs. Measure Q was codified at Barstow Municipal Code Section 3.33.010, et seq.
The Community Promotional Fund serve as the conduit of Measure Q funds from the City to the community for community programs. The Community Promotional Fund provides grant funding, as well as in-kind contributions, to community-based nonprofit organizations, including specifically, but without limitation, youth and senior organizations, youth sports organizations, and schools for events, initiatives, and programs (collectively “projects”) that meet new and continuing community social and economic needs and trends, promote community collaboration, and/or bring recognition to the community.
II. Provisions
A. Program Guidelines
1. Provision of Financial Support. The City can provide financial support through cash grants(“Grants”) or in-kind contributions (“Contributions”) such as city staff planning and logistical support, waiver of venue fees, equipment, supplies, and other assistance.
The City’s provision of Grants and Contributions is conditional based on agreed criteria to be met by the applicant for financial support (“Applicant”).
2. Public Purpose. Grants and Contributions must be used for a direct public purpose.
The public purpose shall be served if the community of Barstow is recognized or promoted, community collaboration is promoted, and/or there is a direct and identifiable social and/or economic benefit to the community as a whole.
3. Annual Appropriation of Measure Q Funds. As part of the budget adopted by the City Council every fiscal year, (a) the City Manager will recommend an amount to be set aside for the Community Promotional Fund, including, without limitation, any
amounts recommended be used specifically to support youth sports programs or seniors; and (b) the City Council should specify the amount of Measure Q funds being appropriated to the Community Promotional Fund, including, without limitation, any amounts that are to be used to support youth sports programs or seniors.
4. Annual Awards After Budget Approval. Grants and Contributions will be awarded after the budget is approved in June, based on available Grant funds. The Community Promotional Fund budget will not be finalized unless approved by the City Council.
Community Promotional Fund applications will not be approved unless the City Council has approved the Community Promotional Fund budget.
5. Maximum Number of Awards. Nonprofits, youth sports organizations, and schools within the Barstow Unified School District of located within Barstow (“Barstow schools”) will not be awarded Measure Q funds more than once per fiscal year.
6. Limits on Awards Supporting Events. Grant and Contribution applications for community events will only be eligible to receive Contributions and Grants not exceeding $1,000, unless an exception is approved by the City Council.
Notwithstanding Section II.A.5. above, Applicants may apply for, and the City Council may award, Grants and Contributions for community events more than once per fiscal year, provided that each individual application and award is for a different community event.
7. No Retroactive Applications. Neither Grants nor Contributions will be approved for projects retroactively.
8. Program Agreement Required. Grant and Contribution awardees will be required to enter into a formal program agreement with the City of Barstow. The agreement will detail program components, deliverables, and service level requirements that must be met by the awardee.
B. Eligibility Requirements
1. Nonprofits. Nonprofits must be California public benefit corporations that have current nonprofit 501(c)(3) status and that are located in and serve the Barstow community (“nonprofits”). Nonprofit applicants must provide services that directly benefit the residents of the City of Barstow and/or those who attend a Barstow school.
2. Youth Sports Organizations. Youth sports organizations that do not qualify as nonprofits must be partnered with a nonprofit to be eligible for funding. Youth sports organizations must provide services to the youth population of the City of Barstow and/or youths who attend a Barstow school.
3. Schools. School applicants must be a Barstow school, as defined in Section II.A.5 above.
4. Application Limit. The City will only accept one application per nonprofit and youth sports organization per fiscal year.
5. For-Profit Business Entities. Except for youth sports organizations partnered with nonprofits, for-profit business entities, including, without limitation, limited liability companies, corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships, as well as natural persons, are ineligible to apply for Grants and/or Contributions.
6. Projects. Applications for Grants or Contributions to support projects must benefit either the residents of the City of Barstow and/or those who attend a Barstow school.
7. Insurance. Applicants must meet the City of Barstow’s insurance requirements.
8. Background Checks. Applicants must have a formal process in place to conduct background checks on all employees and volunteers who work with persons under the age of 18 years of age and persons 62 years of age and older
9. Authorized Application Signatories. Any application from an applicant on behalf of a Barstow school shall include the signature of the school administrator. Any application from an organization or club shall include the signature of the organization’s president or director.
10. No Sole Source Funding of Projects. Each applicant for a Grant or Contribution that supports a projectshall provide evidence that the City is not the sole source of funding for the project. Applicants shall submit a detailed budget with their application stating the total cost of the project and all sources and amounts of funding.
11. Maximum Grant Award Amount. Except as otherwise provided herein, the maximum Grant amount that may be awarded to any one Applicant in any single fiscal year shall be $3,000. The City Council has discretion to award a higher Grant amount to awardees on a case-by-case basis.
12. Maximum Contribution Amount. Except as otherwise provided herein, the maximum amount of Contributions that may be awarded and provided to any one awardee shall be $3,000. The value of in-kind contributions shall be determined by the usual and normal charge or value for the goods and services provided. The City Council has discretion to award a higher amount of Contributions to awardees on a case-by-case basis.
13. Follow Up Report. Awardees who receive a Grant and/or Contribution are required to submit an follow-up report or presentation to the City Council within 30 days of utilizing the Grant and/or obtaining the Contributions. This report should detail how the Grant and/or Contributions from the City of Barstow were utilized for a public purpose, and should be presented at the next scheduled Council meeting following the awardee’s submission of the report.
14. Event Locations. Events supported by a Grant or Contribution must use public places within the City of Barstow, and must be open to anyone who wishes to attend.
15. Ineligible Events. Events with a primary focus on politics or religion are ineligible for funding.
16. No Park Maintenance. Applications for the installation or upgrading of park amenities or facilities, or for the repair of park amenities or facilities, will be disregarded.
17. City Audit of Promotional Funds. Awardees must allow an audit on the use of Grants and Contributions should the City of Barstow require such an audit.
18. City Recognition. Awardees must recognize the support of the City of Barstow as a sponsor in all publicity material, annual reports, and similar publications, and at the event.
19. Event Responsibilities. Awardees for Grants or Contributions supporting events are accountable and responsible for the behavior of event guests. Both the awardee and the guests must adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances. This encompasses, but is not limited to, the use of illegal substances, gambling, and disorderly conduct. If an event venue is shut down by the police, the awardee will forfeit their security deposit. Disruptive behavior, including but not limited to shouting, running, arguing, fighting, and using profane language, as well as any actions that disturbs other guests or interferes with City or venue staff operations, are strictly prohibited and may result in removal from the venue.
C. Promotional Fund Grant Allocation Timeline
1. The City shall establish one Grant and Contribution funding cycle per year based on the following timeline. The Grants and Contributions will be announced in October. i. Awards:
a. Application Due Date: Second Thursday in August
b. Application Review Period: September
c. Applicant Interviews (as needed): September
d. Award of Funds: First or second regular City Council meeting in October
ii. Unawarded Funds: If any Grant funds remain at the end of the Grant award cycle, then the City Council may, but is not required to, continue receiving and reviewing
applications and awarding Grants and Contributions on a rolling basis until such remaining grant funds have been exhausted.
D. Selection Process
1. Submittal to City Council. After the application due date, the City Manager or their designee will forward all completed Grant and Contribution applications received prior to the due date to the City Council for consideration. Late applications will not be considered during the Grant award cycle, but may be considered at the end of the Grant award cycle as provided in Section II.C.1.ii. above. The City Council may, within its discretion, interview grant applicants during any regular or special session.
2. City Council Review. The City Council will award Grants and Contributions based on information obtained through the written application, the interview process (if applicable), and how well the applicant demonstrates that their use of the Grant and/or Contribution will serve a public purpose.
3. City Council Award. The City Council may deny, approve, or approve as amended Grant and Contribution applications.
4. Conflicts of Interest. City Council members must recuse themselves from reviewing and making recommendations on a Grant or Contribution application submitted by the City Council member or an immediate family member of a City Council member, and any application that may have a reasonably foreseeable financial effect on the City Council member’s economic interests or the economic interests of an immediate family member of the City Council member. City Council members must comply with all applicable conflict of interest laws in their administration of the Community Promotional Fund program.
E. Grants and Contributions Supporting Youth Sports
1. Donated Contributions. Durable items not exceeding $100.00 that youth sports organizations purchase with Grant funds or receive from the City as Contributions for youth sports will be considered donations from the City to the youth sports organizations. Such items may include, without limitation, balls, uniforms, helmets, bats, rackets, gloves, and cleats that do not individually cost more than $100.00.
The Program Agreement shall specifically list all Contributions donated by City.
2. City-Owned Contributions. Except as provided in Section E.1. above, all other items that youth sports organizations purchase with Grant funds or receive as Contributions from the City will remain the property of the City. Such items may include, without limitation, pitching machines, soccer goals, goal posts, nets, fitness equipment, and field maintenance equipment. Any item not listed as a Contribution donated by the City to the youth sports organization will be considered the property of the City.
3. Inventory of City-Owned Contributions. The City will maintain an inventory of all Contributions provided by the City that will remain the personal property of the City. At a minimum, the inventory will keep a record of the recipient of the Contributions, a description of the Contributions, the Contributions’ purchase order number, the location where the Contributions will be stored, and the contact information for the recipient’s designated point of contact.
4. Specification of Resources Needed. Applicants for Grants and/or Contributions supporting youth sports must specify the Contributions needed, the intended use of Grant funds, and explain how the Grant and/or Contributions will benefit their organization.
F. Termination
1. Monitoring. The City will monitor the performance of each awardee against the goals, deliverables, and performance standards required by the Program Agreement.
2. Program Agreement. The Program Agreement shall provide:
i. Substandard performance by the awardee, as determined by the City, constitutes a breach of the Program Agreement;
ii. In the event of a awardee’s substandard performance of the Program Agreement, the City will provide the awardee written notice specifying the nature of the substandard performance and may, within its discretion, provide an opportunity to cure and specify the measures that must be taken to cure the breach; and
iii. In the event of a breach, the City may suspend the Program Agreement and Grant and Contribution disbursements, terminate the Program Agreement, require the awardee to repay the entire Grant or any portions of the Grant that were misused, and/or require the awardee to repay the City for the value of the Contributions received. If the City terminates the Grant Agreement, then the awardee will be ineligible to apply for or receive Community Promotional Grants or Contributions for a period of five years.
I, Andrea Flores, City Clerk of the City of Barstow and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council, DO HEREBY CERTIFY UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of City Council Policy Memorandum #2025-XX of said Council which was adopted at a regular meeting held August 19, 2025, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
__________________________ __________________________
Andrea Flores, City Clerk Timothy Silva, Mayor