City of Gonzales
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: March 17, 2025
FROM: Carmen Gil, City Manager
THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution No. 2025-07 Withdraw Funding Donated for the Dennis and Janice Caprara Community Center Complex
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2025-07, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Gonzales Authorizing the City Manager to withdraw the funding donated for the Dennis and Janice Caprara Community Center Complex from the Community Foundation Account.
BACKGROUND
The City embarked on a capital campaign in 2021 in support of the development of the Gonzales Community Center knowing that the project was going to take an outstanding amount of funding, but that there were generous people out there that believed in the community’s vision and wanted to support the development of the center.
An initial step for the Capital Campaign was to set up an account that could provide potential donors assurance that their donations would indeed go to the development of the center. For that, we had to identify a trusted partner that could provide that assurance and that believed in the project just as much as we did.
The Community Foundation for Monterey County is the go-to for setting up disaster funds, and they manage many other community funds and although they don’t typically do capital campaigns, they were gracious enough to work with us and establish a fund in which our Center’s donations could be held.
In November 2023, the City drew down $5.292 million, and in May of 2024 $326,458.44, today we have $285,682.87 sitting in the account which we would like to draw upon to help pay for the construction expenses.
AGENDA
ITEM
16 REVIEW & ANALYSIS
The funds in the account have been generously donated from members that support our community and that come from all walks of life. We have received donations ranging from $5 to $5 million, showing that people from all sides of the economic spectrum believe in the project and want to support it. We are fortunate to receive every single one of them, and every single donation makes a difference and gets us closer to our goal.
Explain Recommendation and How it Supports the Vision
Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in its heritage, and committed to working collaboratively to preserve and retain its small-town charm.
Explain: Construction is moving very rapidly; thus, we need to draw down the funding that has been made available to us by our generous donors.
Explain how the Recommendation Directly Implements the Mission The City Council and Staff of the City of Gonzales will realize our Vision by providing the leadership, commitment and resources necessary to provide excellent services that enhance the quality of life of our diverse community. X Yes __No __NA
Explain: Please see explanation above for the Mission.
Strong fiscal policies allow us to provide appropriate infrastructure for:
• Public Safety Yes No X N/A
• Housing Yes No X N/A
• Recreation X Yes No N/A
• Environment X Yes No N/A
• Education X Yes No N/A
Explain: Please see explanation above for the Vision.
ALTERNATIVES
There is no alternative to this. The donors donated the funds to the Community Center and we are in the mist of constructing it, therefore drawing down the funds is appropriate at this time.
BUDGET IMPACT
The Community Center Construction fund balance will grow in revenue by $285,682.87 requiring a budget amendment to reflect the new amount.
CONCLUSION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2025-07, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Gonzales Authorizing the City Manager to withdraw the funding donated for the Dennis and Janice Caprara Community Center Complex from the Community Foundation Account.
Attachments:
1. Resolution No. 2025-07