Columbia Community Concepts, the nonprofit behind the long-promised Source community center, was a no-show at the current Howard County Council's final monthly meeting on Tuesday, leaving members without answers on how the organization has spent $25 million in county grant money. The meeting had been expected to include representatives from the nonprofit alongside County Executive Calvin Ball's team, but the organization did not appear.
A Pattern of Absences Amid Audit Fight
This was not the first time the nonprofit has steered clear of council questioning. According to CBS News Baltimore, Columbia Community Concepts declined the council's invitation to meet, continuing a standoff that has simmered since Howard County's acting auditor announced last month that the nonprofit had challenged an audit of its finances. The organization is developing The Source, a project the county describes on its own site as a planned 65,000-square-foot, LEED-certified community center rising inside the former Columbia Flier Building, according to a Howard County government announcement.
Gregg Bernstein, an attorney representing Columbia Community Concepts, sent the council a four-page letter responding to its concerns. In it, he argued that audit-related information should have remained confidential and characterized Councilmember Deb Jung's efforts as attacks on the nonprofit, per the same CBS Baltimore account. Bernstein wrote that the added scrutiny had diverted resources away from construction and increased the project's delivery costs, though he said the nonprofit remained willing to meet with the council under appropriate circumstances.
Council Members Divided on How Hard to Push
Not every council member is equally alarmed. Council Chair Opel Jones said he welcomed additional information from the nonprofit but felt its annual report had provided sufficient information for now, and that he did not share all of his colleagues' concerns. Jones said he supports the project so long as the final product proves suitable and beneficial to the community.
Jung, who has pushed hardest for oversight, said her concerns were not political or personal. She told colleagues she first noticed red flags after reviewing The Source's first annual report back in February, which indicated, according to Jung, that the nonprofit had already spent about half of its $25 million grant. Jung also noted that roughly 60 nonprofits countywide receive a combined $10 million a year in county funding, while this single project received $25 million on its own.
Councilmember David Yungmann said most of his colleagues want closer scrutiny of the project, even as he expressed hope that it turns out to be fine. Councilwoman Liz Walsh briefly attended Tuesday's session virtually as the discussion unfolded.
What the Grant Agreement Allows
Howard County's grant agreement with the nonprofit, the final signed version of which the county has posted publicly through its grant-agreement page, includes a provision giving the county the right to examine books, accounts, and records to ensure compliance. That provision sits at the center of the current dispute, since Columbia Community Concepts has challenged the audit.
Tuesday's meeting marked the outgoing council's last monthly session, and several members said they hope the incoming council keeps pressing for answers. As CBS Baltimore reported, the debate over transparency and county funding could well continue once new members take their seats, leaving the fate of the $25 million project, and the nonprofit's willingness to explain how the money has been spent, unresolved for now.
