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July 29, 2010; Source: The Herald | In Monroe, Wash. the five-member City Council has voted to end its commitment to the Y (still here called the YMCA) as part of the city’s attempt to close the budget gap. The Y was not alone in its pain. Other cuts were made to public personnel, etc. The commitment between the City and the Y is a long term one made in 2007 when the Y opened and it is worth $1.6 million all told but it was being paid out in yearly increments of $131,000 and has another 12 years to run.

The agreement allowed either side to end it prematurely. The associate executive director said she is hoping their members will “fight it,” but they are still weighing all their options. Why was she the spokesperson? The executive director is actually, herself a member of the city council but had recused herself from the decision. That had to be tough!

We are hearing more of these kinds of stories lately, where a big, fairly secure chunk of revenue disappears virtually overnight. This organization sounds like it has some options. Let’s hope so because this money was supposed to go to retire debt on their facility.—Ruth McCambridge