Cole County commissioners recently voted to distribute funds to two local organizations; among the actions, one was justifiable and the other questionable.
Members of the county's three-member governing body voted unanimously, and wisely, to renew its contract with the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce to provide economic development services at an annual cost of $150,000.
Both the county and Jefferson City historically have contracted with the chamber to pursue economic development. Neither the city nor county has its own economic development agency.
Although county commissioners entertained a joint venture with city government, the potential partnership became moot after city officials decided in December to renew the city's contract with the chamber.
Just as well; it's unlikely the county and city - separately or jointly - could match the chamber's resources and experience at an equal or lower cost. Among the chamber's resources is a dedicated, energetic group of volunteers.
In a separate action, a distribution of $10,000 to River City Habitat for Humanity was approved on a 2-1 vote, with Western District Commissioner Kris Scheperle opposed.
We renew our objections - raised in this forum the past two years - that local governments should not be in the business of distributing tax dollars to charity.
Commissioners traditionally have justified their actions by citing a state law that allows county government to "contract" with agencies that provide services to county residents.
Although previous contracts tended to be generic, we acknowledge this year's contract with the local Habitat chapter specifies the county's assistance is for construction of a new Habitat home at 1405 E. High St., which will mark the chapter's 100th home.
Like the contract with the chamber for a specific, measurable purpose, this year's contract with Habitat is an improvement, but does not alleviate our concerns.
Among them, how does the commission distinguish between charities worthy of public assistance and those that are not? And at what point does assisting nonprofits become a financial drain on the county's ability to provide essential government services?
Second, we believe private donors are perfectly capable of deciding which charities to support, without a local governing body serving as a conduit to convert someone's tax dollars to charitable contributions. Nonprofits that have demonstrated worth and merit, like the Habitat chapter, thrive in our community.
We commend Scheperle for echoing some of these concerns, and we encourage the other commissioners to be circumspect when deciding on similar requests in the future.