FERRIDAY, La. – Alex Promise, chairman of a committee working to establish a YMCA branch in Concordia and Catahoula parishes, plans to ask the Ferriday Town Council once again to contribute $75,000 to the effort.

Promise said Friday that town officials should be willing to allocate the money now that another organization competing for funds, the Boys &&160;Girls Club of the Delta, has disbanded.

With competing groups lobbying for funds, &uot;the mayor (Glen McGlothin) could not make a decision even though he understands the need for something like this,&uot; Promise said. Neither McGlothin nor Town Attorney Anna Brakenridge could be reached for comment.

Promise, who also serves as administrative assistant for the town, asked the council for the same donation in its May 8 meeting.

But according to an attorney general’s opinion, the town cannot donate public funds to open a YMCA unless funds would be used only for programs for the needy. And the town would need to establish objective criteria to define who is truly &uot;needy.&uot;

It was not question of whether the town supports the effort, Mayor Glen McGlothin said after that meeting.

&uot;It’s a question of whether we can (legally) do it, and whether we have the money to do it,&uot; he said.

McGlothin also said the town is strapped for cash due to the theft of more than $147,000 by two former clerks, and the rising cost of utilities, fuel and chemicals.

When asked about the attorney general’s opinion, Promise said he understands that the allocation &uot;could be done legally through a cooperative endeavor agreement&uot; that spells out specific programs for which money would be used.

In order to establish a branch, the YMCA needs to make sure $150,000 will be available to run it for the first three years.

The board of Recreation District No. 1 has pledged to contribute $75,000 of that amount from a recreation tax voters passed in 1998 – provided the remaining $75,000 is raised from other sources.

Promise said in a Thursday night meeting of the YMCA of Concordia/Catahoula Steering Committee that the group hopes to raise the money by the end of August.