by Matt Marquardt –
MASON CITY – According to a City Hall memo, The Mason City Blue Zones Initiative is 76.92% over budget at this time.
In a department budget analysis from the Finance Department at City Hall, the Revised Expenditure Budget for the Blue Zones Initiative is shown only as a dash. Year to date expenditures from the city for the Blue Zones Initiative have been $9,741.71 and is shown as 76.92% over budget.
NIT is seeking more information and details from City Hall on its Blue Zone budget.
City Administrator Brent Trout has said previously that the city would provide start-up costs for the project and then the “business community” would take over. Â He has also indicated previously that donations and grants would be secured to cover the costs of the program.
Mason City was selected as a Blue Zones demonstration site in May 9th, 2012. Â The Blue Zones Project, a collaboration between Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Healthways, is a community-by-community, business-by-business movement to help Iowans change their built environments.
There are five people working on Mason City’s Blue Zones Initiative. Â Three of the five workers’ salaries are funded by the Blue Zones Project. Â The city is covering all or part of the time or salary of the other two.
In the City Hall memo, it is stated that the current deficit would need to be made up from “anticipated donations” or general fund reserves.
Trout did not respond yet to an email sent last week requesting a full list/report of all the expenditures from the city towards the Blue Zones Initiative.
NIT will report once the city releases that information.
