Detail work might have saved grief

Had Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman taken care of a few details beforehand, her providing a county-paid employee to the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Valley could have easily been a routine government decision rather than the focus of a widely publicized investigation.

Why Workman didn't do so — whether it was simply overlooking details, which she contends, or possible nepotism involving her daughter, Aisza, an employee at the clubs, which her rivals contend — remains to be seen. Perhaps the question will never be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

The Boys & Girls Club has long solicited and accepted money from all levels of government — federal, state, county, city. Last year, the South Valley clubs alone received almost $2 million in government cash grants and in-kind contributions.

"That's what we do," clubs executive director Bob Dunn said of soliciting funds. "That's what I'm good at."

The South Valley clubs comprise facilities in Murray, Midvale, Sandy and West Jordan. Each of those cities contributes to club programs. Last year Murray, historically a big supporter of the clubs, gave $50,000. Sandy's contribution this year is $60,000.

The state health department provides a full-time employee to work at the clubs, the Murray School District provides employee time, Midvale helps fund a health clinic, Murray police provide DARE services — the list goes on and on.

The county itself, in fact, provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to help build South Valley's Murray facility and currently has a $100,000 contract in place with another Boys & Girls Club to provide social services.

By comparison, the Workman investigation involves $12,000 to $18,000.

"The amount of money we're talking about is minimal," county chief administrative officer David Marshall said.

There are, however, certain legal hoops government entities must jump through to provide money to nonprofit entities. Those legalities, which grew out of a lawsuit appealed to the Utah Supreme Court between then-Salt Lake County attorney Doug Short and county commissioners, include making sure there is some benefit to the government entity providing the money.

For example, the county outsources much of its human services work to private entities. What's more, state law permits a city contributing to a nonprofit organization to consider "intangible benefits" as a return.

"(Contributions are) not prohibited, but there are processes you must go through to do it," said Murray city attorney Frank Nakamura.

Through contracts, the county contributes money to such varied causes as Utah Symphony & Opera, Tracy Aviary, legal resource centers, This Is the Place State Park, community group studies and the Vest Pocket Coalition.