McDaniel uses discretionary funds for repairs on Atwater veterans hall

District 3 Supervisor Daron McDaniel, a vocal opponent of the Merced County Board of Supervisors’ annual use of at least $200,000 in discretionary funds, asked his colleagues Tuesday to approve spending money from his designated fund to repair a leaky roof at the Atwater Memorial Building.

The board voted unanimously to spend $12,450 from McDaniel’s special board project fund to fix the building, which the county leases to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9946 for $1 a year.

McDaniel, whose District 3 includes Atwater, has opposed the use of discretionary funds. He has said he believes the money would be better used in the general fund. When asking for his peers’ approval Tuesday, he said he believes the use of money for a project that benefits the community was justified.

“I’ve always said use the money for sticks and bricks or public safety,” McDaniel said. “That (the veterans hall) falls under ‘sticks and bricks.’ ”

Each supervisor is allocated $40,000 every fiscal year to use as they please. Typically, supervisors choose to spend the money on community projects or nonprofit organizations. The leftover amount at the end of each fiscal year rolls over to the next.

Since McDaniel was elected in 2014, he has voted against or abstained from votes to allocate money from other supervisors’ funds for nonprofits and community events. McDaniel has urged supervisors to have recipients of the funds fill out a form to ensure the money was being used responsibly and to increase transparency of the process. He also held multiple workshops to help residents learn how to find and apply for grants, a possible alternative to asking for discretionary funds.

McDaniel has voted twice previously to approve use of the funds: The first time was in April, when supervisors approved using $4,000 to replace an aging wall at the county’s fire station at Castle Commerce Center; the other time, he agreed to spend $2,000 for graffiti abatement.

“If I gave back all my funds, I would be shortchanging my constituents,” McDaniel said. “Discretionary funds are not going away. If I’m going to spend the money, it will be for something that benefits everyone in the county.”

In the case of the veterans hall, McDaniel said he didn’t use a form because the county’s public works department would complete the work, thus documenting the process.

Ken Working, the commander of VFW Post 9946, said the group approached McDaniel late last summer to ask for money for the repairs, which he said are badly needed.

The building, on Broadway Avenue in downtown Atwater, leaks from the ceiling when it rains, Working said. The building also has extensive water damage on the outside, he said.

“It’s more than just a county building,” Working said. “It’s a community center that a lot of people use for an inexpensive price.”

In addition to being rented out for private parties, the building is a meeting space for the Lions Club, the Girl Scouts, the Boys Scouts, Tea Party Patriots and veterans groups.

“I hope this encourages people to let them know this building is available to them,” McDaniel said. “It’s a historical building. Let’s make it nice so people can use it.”

This story was originally published February 2, 2016 at 5:18 PM with the headline "McDaniel uses discretionary funds for repairs on Atwater veterans hall."