Pensacola Councilman Pulls Youth Sports, Housing Funding Items Over Missing Paperwork

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- A Pensacola city councilman is pushing back on three funding agreements after raising concerns that the city doesn't have basic financial records on file for the organizations involved.

Councilman Charles Bare pulled three items from Thursday's city council consent agenda — agreements with the East Pensacola Student Athlete Program's football and baseball teams, along with the city's federal Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan — sending all three to a full council discussion instead of an automatic vote.

Bare's questions centered on financial transparency. For the youth sports agreements, he asked whether the city had copies of the organization's bylaws, standard operating procedures, or financial statements, as required under the agreements themselves. City staff confirmed they hadn't yet requested that documentation and wouldn't collect it until after council approval, not before.

"So we don't get the benefit of seeing any of the 990s or financial statements before we have to approve this?" Bare asked staff during the meeting.

Staff said the typical turnaround between council approval and a signed contract is about 30 days, giving them a window to gather the paperwork before finalizing the agreements.

Bare also raised concerns about the city's federal housing funding plan, pointing to a section listing outside organizations the city consults with on housing needs. He said the same vague response — that the city participates in "ongoing coordination" with a given provider — was repeated for multiple organizations without addressing follow-up questions about outcomes or areas for improvement.

City housing staff said more detailed conversations do take place with organizations like the Center for Independent Living, but acknowledged those details weren't reflected in the written report.

All three items are now set for further discussion at a Thursday's council meeting.