Council OKs fee agreement for shelter

Crossroads Mission will be able to open its new family shelter in the near future after seeing it sit empty for several months while trying to negotiate an agreement over fees it owes the city.

The mission owes $163,245 for sewer and water capacity fees as well as $51,642 in development fees for a total bill of $214,887.

Earlier this week, Crossroads Mission gave the city a check for $114,887.

By a unanimous decision, the Yuma City Council Wednesday evening approved an agreement to allow the agency to defer the remaining $100,000 over the next five years, to be paid out of the funding city allocates the mission each year for providing detoxification services.

After the meeting, Myra Garlit, Crossroads Mission executive director, said with the fee issue resolved, the family shelter will open as soon as it receives a certificate of occupancy.

Construction of the shelter was completed early last fall. It has 100 beds, double the capacity of the existing shelter that is near capacity now with 38 women and children staying there and four more people coming in.

But there were some anxious moments for Garlit and the mission's board of directors after Mayor Al Krieger raised some concerns about the agreement during the council's work session Tuesday.

At that meeting, Krieger expressed concern that the agreement locks the council into allocating funding to Crossroads Mission for the next five years, funding that is meant for the agency's detox program.

“This facility doesn't have anything to do with the services the city pays for,” he said.

Councilman Paul Johnson added that he was concerned the deferral agreement would set a precedent.

However, the city has done payment plans in the past, noted City Administrator Greg Wilkinson.

Concerned by the comments made Tuesday, several supporters of Crossroads Mission spoke up Wednesday evening, appealing to the council for help so it can better meet the needs of homeless families.

In the early years, most people who came to the mission were substance abusers, said longtime board member Ralph Williams. Over the years, the agency has seen more women and children in need of shelter and assistance.

“We've had a cooperative relationship with the city,” he said. “We appreciate any help we can get from the city.”

Mike Simpson also appealed to the council to approve the agreement. “The building is completed, now we ask for help to let us finish it. We're bursting at the seams. Please find it in your hearts to let us serve others.”

Garlit noted that the mission helps the city by providing a solution for the homeless, assistance that is resulting in rebuilt lives and restored families. She also predicted that as the city doubles in population, its homeless population will triple.

In other business, the council approved two resolutions that address the need for redevelopment along 4th Avenue to the 16th Street intersection. First, the council approved a finding of necessity to extend the North End Redevelopment Area to include the 4th Avenue-16th Street area. The second designates the area as a central business district.

The next step is to create a redevelopment plan for the area with the consensus of the private property owners. If that plan is adopted, it will pave the way for economic incentives to promote private investment in the area where a visual survey indicated a majority of the properties need of maintenance or redevelopment.

One sticking point to redevelopment, said property owner Tom Pancrazi, is the current uncertainty of the design of improvements to the heavily traveled intersection and its impact on surrounding properties.

Other property owners expressed concern that designating the area as a redevelopment area might lead to more restrictions, regulations and taxes.

Krieger explained that the goal is to offer incentives such as grants, property tax abatements and partnerships with the city to help owners upgrade their properties. And, he stressed, participation will be strictly voluntary.

Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853. Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YSJoyceLobeck or on Twitter at @YSJoyceLobeck.