SPECIAL TO THE VALLEY
PATRIOT City to
Require Non-Profits to Comply with State
Requirements Seven non-profits
fail to meet state reporting requirements
Lawrence City
Councilor Marc LaPlant
The Lawrence City Council placed
conditions before approving Mayor William
Lantigua’s $200,000 Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) request to
fund 17 programs spread among 15 local
non-profits.
The conditions are that the non-profits
meet the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’
mandate to annually register with the
Secretary of State’s office and to
provide financial information to the
Attorney General’s office.
“These groups are doing some
fantastic work to help Lawrence
residents,” said the author of the
council’s condition, City Councilor
Marc Laplante (District F). “However,
I discovered that seven non-profits are
not in good standing with the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
The City Council approved the
appropriation of the Community
Development Block Grant with the
stipulation that the groups meet the
Commonwealth’s requirements.
”These financial awards are public
money and it is important that the groups
adhere to federal, state, and local laws
and regulations,” said Laplante.
“While the transgressions can be
easily corrected by submitting the proper
forms, it is important that we demand
this high level of attentiveness because
we are dealing with the public trust.“
The non-profits will be awarded the
funding once the city’s Community
Development Department determines that
the non-profits are compliant with the
Commonwealth’s requirements.
Marc Laplante is a four term Lawrence
City Councilor representing Lawrence’s
Southeast neighborhoods.
