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Hear Candidate Gonzalez Pledge to Secure Boys and Girls Club Funding by “Contract”

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As a candidate, Mayor Jason Gonzalez pledged not only to continue funding the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County’s services to Fitchburg children, but to do so by “contract” so “we don’t have this ruckus every year.”

At a candidate forum in April, Gonzalez acknowledged that “we don’t have all the numbers in place yet” as relates to State funding, but said, “my intent is to make (Boys and Girls Club) funding and (Badger) Prairie Needs Network a line item in the Parks Department. There’s going to be a contract or an agreement so that’s theirs … I don’t want to have this ruckus every year that this money is up for grabs.”

In his 2018 budget proposal unveiled Friday, Gonzalez eliminates all funding for Boys and Girls Clubs and Badger Prairie Needs Network as well as $50,000 for other nonprofit community projects.

“I hoped as well to (provide funding), but then I got the numbers,” Gonzalez told Channel 3 Monday.

Fitchburg Alder Tony Hartmann supports the decision.

“Since we will be receiving more than $600,000 less from the state in 2018, we quite simply don’t have any money to hand out,” he said in an email to Madison365.

Gonzalez has not responded to multiple messages from Madison365 seeking comment.