By Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, September 23, 2010
TAMPA — The City Council tentatively approved Thursday rules for monitoring nonprofits that receive taxpayer money from the city.
"This is a way of providing accountability without being overbearing," said City Attorney Chip Fletcher before the unanimous approval. The rules require another vote before taking effect.
Work on the regulations, part of the city's code of ethics, began more than a year ago after revelations that then-Lowry Park Zoo director Lex Salisbury mixed zoo business with his private ventures.
The city allocates hundreds of thousands of dollars to the zoo every year.
The regulations apply only to organizations that get more than $5,000 a year from the city.
Among other things, the rules require that the nonprofits reveal transactions that provide a personal financial benefit to executive staff members or board members, adopt whistle-blower policies to protect people who reveal a nonprofit's suspicious dealings, and provide the city with annual reports of executive compensation.
Failure to follow the rules could result in forfeiture of funds and suspension of funding for a year.
This year, the city gave more than $2.3 million to about 20 nonprofits, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, Spanish Lyric Theatre and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.
Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3401.