After a 30-minute discussion Monday, the Clearwater City Council agreed to look into the lease it has with the Clearwater-Clear Lake Food Shelf.

Food shelf members attended Monday’s meeting in an attempt to get the city to reduce or eliminate the amount the food shelf pays each month.

In October, 2016, the city signed a three-year agreement with the food shelf. Under that agreement, the food shelf pays the city $500 a month to continue to lease space within the Lions Pavilion building.

The food shelf is responsible for managing and staffing its own space. The city is responsible for all building maintenance and repairs, grounds maintenance and snow and ice removal on steps, walkways and the parking lot. 

Both the food shelf and the Clearwater Lions have  space in the building. For many years, the Lions had donated money, sometimes more than $10,000 a year to the city for utilities and upkeep of the building. The Lions also rented out space to other organizations. Historically, the food shelf wasn’t asked to pay rent for its space.

In late 2015, city officials decided to handle the rentals and develop a formal written agreement with the Lions. In May, 2016, the city presented the Lions with a draft $500 per month lease agreement. After reviewing the lease, the Lions proposed covering the costs for the building, including the costs for the food shelf.

But because of questions about the legality of the Lions using gambling proceeds to pay rent and utilities, the council decided the lease should go to the food shelf. The Lions make a donation to the food shelf, which covers the monthly lease payments. It’s been that way ever since.

Monday, food shelf Coordinator Karie Gohman asked the council to consider a reduction or no charge at all.

She said the food shelf served 108 households in July, and has spent almost $12,000 this year to make sure there is enough food for everybody coming through the doors.

Food Shelf Coordinator Susie Brown said the cities of Annandale, Becker and Big Lake don’t charge their food shelfs anything. Monticello has a $1 per year lease agreement.

She said members of other food shelfs can’t believe the city is asking for rent.

“When people hear we pay $500 a month, they gasp,” she said.

Clearwater City Administrator Kevin Kress said it was never the intention to charge the food shelf.

“The food shelf is being used as a conduit for the Lions Club to pay the city,” he said. “If we were to strip away the funding the food shelf pays us, realistically the Lions Club should donate the $6,000 to the city to offset a good portion of the utilities and space.”

Gohman agreed the Lions are covering the cost. But that could change.

“If the time comes when the Lions can’t do it, we’re going to have to start taking money from our budget that we typically use to buy food and provide holiday baskets,” she said. “Then what?”

That’s one of the issues the city will face as they try to develop a polcy. If the council decides to eliminate or reduce the lease amount, somehow the building needs to be funded.

The city is already in discussions about how to treat all non-profits equally.

Mayor Anderea Lawrence said the city has no written policy about what happens if a non-profit, such the Girl Scouts, the Clear Lake Area Youth Baseball Association or Caring for Kayleen asks to use the building or another city-owned site. They have sent an inquiry to the city attorney on the matter and are waiting for a response.

The food shelf is different, said Councilman Richard Petty, because they aren’t asking to use the space for an event. Rather, they have permanent space in the Lions Pavilion.

He said the city would have to decide if they wanted to cover their cost as a separate line item in the city’s budget, which is currently the case with the Clearwater Library.

Can the city absorb another $6,000? asked Kress.

That’s something the council will be discussing as they try to develop their non-profit policy.