In advance of setting its budget for the next fiscal year, Danville City Commission is preparing for its annual meetings with agencies that request funding.

“Community” and “shared” agencies have submitted requests for $718,150, City Manager Ron Scott said. Last year, the city provided a total of $661,100 to those making requests, Scott said.

The city commission is holding a day-long workshop Thursday, March 23 — from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — in order to review the applications and meet with the agencies requesting the funds.

“We did receive quite a number of communications and requests again this year and those are all compiled and they weigh in at probably a good 35 pounds of paper,” Scott said.

“Shared” or partner agencies are ones such as Danville-Boyle County Parks and Recreation or the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership of which the city is a member or partner. Community agencies are separate from the city.

Community agencies requested a total of $230,500. Last year, the city provided $193,100 to community agencies, Scott said. Partner agencies requested a total of $487,650 — more than the $468,000 the city provided last year, he said.

Scott noted that the EDP’s request for funding “doesn’t yet reflect any recommendations from our EDP consultant, who may suggest additional funding for the EDP in the next fiscal year.”

“We have a lot of requests for funding in the next fiscal year, and it’s going to be difficult to meet that funding,” he said. “… There’s a lot of increased demand or requests for these financial dollars in support of many good things that community agencies do. It’s increasingly difficult to do that as our revenue really has not increased significantly in the last year.”

SO YOU KNOW

The Danville City Commission is holding a day-long workshop Thursday, March 23 — from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — at Danville City Hall, in order to review the applications and meet with the agencies requesting the funds. The workshop is open to the public.