EPHRATA - Various Ephrata groups and people donated money to keep American Red Cross blood drives in the city.

Within a day of the city council deciding to charge the organization to rent the Ephrata Recreation Center, two civic groups, a private citizen and Ephrata city employees recently donated the $600 to pay the rental fee.

The Red Cross was the first non-profit to approach the city council following a decision to start charging non-profit groups to use the Ephrata Recreation Center. The council approved charging the groups $25 for every two hours with a maximum of eight hours during a previous meeting.

The city made the change as part of a package of fee increases at the center. City officials are hoping the changes will allow the city to regain some of the money it loses on the facility.

The Parks and Recreation Commission discussed allowing the Red Cross to use the facility for free, and recommended the council doesn't allow it, Parks and Recreation Director Ray Towry said. The commission supports the blood drives held by the organization.

"(It's) simply the fact of where budgets are, and (they're) worried about the long-term health of both the facility and the recreation programs as a whole," he said. "They thought the fees were fair and were really afraid that it would open the floodgates."

Robert Krug, a Red Cross donor recruitment supervisor, told the council Ephrata would be the only place the organization is charged to conduct blood drives in Eastern Washington. The Red Cross holds six blood drives at the center. The city was responsible for 375 units of blood last year, and it helped more than 1,100 people.

"I can definitely respect the financial situation the city is in, but, at the same time, it is something that we have not done before," he said. "We are willing to do it because we want to be here, we want to collect the blood."

The charge may not seem like a lot of money, but the organization needs to recover its costs, he said.

"So for us, every time, every dollar I spend, I have to find a dollar to replace that," Krug said. "So if it costs me $200 to acquire a pint of blood, I have to, in essence, sell that to the hospital for $200."

Mayor Chris Jacobson pointed out for every dollar the city doesn't charge the Red Cross, it has to find somewhere else.

Three of the councilmembers expressed support for making an exemption for the Red Cross.

Councilmember Bruce Reim felt the change happened quickly, and the organization didn't have any time to prepare.

"I wasn't a fan of it for non-profits to begin with," he said.

Councilmember Kathleen Allstot felt the council shouldn't be in charge of the decision, but felt the city should waive the fee.

"I'd rather give them the waiver because it's saving lives," Councilmember Tony Mora said.

Jacobson asked the councilmember to not give the Red Cross a waiver since the council is responsible for the fiscal health of the city.

"Even though heart strings are pulled ... the Red Cross makes fiduciary decisions every day," he said. "We all have those requirements. They give (Krug) a car. They give (Krug) a salary ... Costs rise."

The discussion changed after City Administrator Wes Crago said city staff were concerned about giving the organization public services for free. He pointed out the Grant County Courthouse has a multipurpose room.

"The county does have a health district responsibility. A part of their mission is public health that would get around gifting issues at a county level," he said.

Reim expressed confusion about the change. In previous meetings, the administrator said groups could come to the council to get an exception.

"Then you're telling us on the other hand, if we do give the exemption, we're gifting (public property,)" he said.

Crago said the council passed an ordinance which doesn't allow exceptions.

"We said, at the time, one of the consequences would be that exemptions would have to come to the council," he said. "I don't think there is any implication on our part that somehow that was going to be the preferred mode."

City Attorney Katherine Kenison said the ordinance the council passed doesn't allow for exemptions.

"So the council's options would be to either ignore its own ordinance, or to consider amending the ordinance, if it wanted to alter the policy," she said. "My concern, however, is that if you choose that direction you get back to the gifting (issue)."

The city is limited in how it can spend money, and the only exceptions are for actions helping the poor and infirm.

"So how did we get away with it before?" Reim asked. "Because we used to not charge non-profits."

Neither Kenison nor Crago answered Reim's question. Kenison did explain the law doesn't make a distinction for non-profit organizations.