Pile of Money Image from KR Connect
I received the following message from the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Communications Committee Chair regarding the scheduling of a meeting by the Public Purpose Funds Committee to review the allocations in Public Purpose Funds previously made.

At Wednesday’s RIRA meeting, RIRA voted to ask the RIRA PPG subcommittee to reconsider the allocations proposed to RIOC. The decision to reconsider was based upon some of the feedback at Tuesday’s RIOC Governance committee and the expression of the appearance of conflict-of-interest and/or the appearance of unfairness. The PPG subcommittee will meet:

  • Where: Good Shepherd Community Center, lower level
  • When: Tuesday, April 7, 8PM

The subcommittee will include those RIRA Common Council members who volunteered AND only those who have no conflicting relationship (officer, director, employee, ownership) with the PPG applicants. The seating arrangement will be like RIRA meetings (tables in the center, observers on the side) so it is clear who is part of the committee. RIRA President, Frank Farance, will chair the subcommittee. The meeting will be videotaped. This is an open meeting and the public is welcome to observe.

Assuming we reach agreement on Tuesday night, RIRA will do an E-mail ballot of the revised allocations. With this, RIOC will have either a revised allocation, or if no changes are deemed necessary, will issue a statement that the original allocation was not the result of any conflict of interest. It is RIRAs intention that this will yield a process that is free from any appearances of conflict or unfairness.

A summary of the guidelines for approving Public Purpose Funding Applications as promulgated by RIOC are as follows: Read More!