For the past several budget cycles, Newton City commissioners have been openly questioning funding outside agencies like Health Ministries, the Grand Central senior center and the Chamber of Commerce.
And that has Chamber director Pam Stevens concerned.
“I know that the next couple of years will be tight, and it will be hard to keep that funding,” Stevens told The Kansan on Thursday afternoon.
The Chamber office is running with her and two part-time staff. A full-time position is sitting open and Stevens is not sure about filling it. At one time the chamber operated with a director and three full time staff — it was also combined with the Convention and Tourism Bureau, which has since been moved out of the chamber offices and into city hall. And then came Tuesday, when commissioner Leroy Koehn had a question during a budget work session that he wanted answered — what would happen if the City Commission did not fund a $30,000 request from the Chamber of Commerce, one of several outside agency requests commissioners must evaluate as they prepare the next budget.
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)