When Should Private Money Pay for Public Projects?

2017 is looking to be an expensive year for the .

Expected projects for that year alone include a $5,000 information desk and kiosk, $138,510 in theater seat and back replacements and $220,000 worth of heating, ventilation and air conditioning units.

Such expenses aren’t a foregone conclusion. If the existing equipment exceeds its expected lifespan, Hopkins will be able to delay some of those purchases. Still, the facility has some major costs ahead.

Mayor Gene Maxwell suggested there might be a way around that, though. With the projects still five years out, the arts board could raise private donations to fund some of the projects. Individuals or businesses could sponsor a seat, for example.

Partnerships with private organizations aren’t unknown in Hopkins. after Little League Baseball chose the Hopkins program as its National Safety Award winner. Hopkins Little League has also replaced scoreboards on Fields 1 and 2 and built a new storage shed, among other improvements.

At the , Hopkins Youth Hockey and the high school boosters teamed up to build out a locker room and a shooting room.

Across Hopkins, partnerships like these have improved city amenities. They minimize the burden on taxpayers and often shift the costs to those who use the facilities most.

Yet they can never fully replace more traditional funding sources. There will continue to be a place for tax levies and municipal bonds in funding major projects.

That’s why Patch wants to know what types of projects you think mesh best with public-private partnerships. Should certain projects always rely on private money? Are there cases when the city should rely entirely on its own funds? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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