Private donors will soon be able to make contributions toward the Onondaga County aquarium project, thanks to a new law passed by county lawmakers Tuesday.
Legislators voted 13-4 to pass a law that will allow the county to accept and appropriate gifts, contributions and donations for the aquarium. The law amends a previous local law that required that donations over $1,500 be accepted by resolution.
For some county Democrats who voted against the motion, there are issues of donor transparency and funding oversight. Legislator Mo Brown voted no and said his concerns lie in the lack of public oversight.
"We deserve to know what's going on with this project," Brown said. "We won't anymore like the donations that come going forward. What they're spent for, you know, we won't be able to say as a community, as a county legislative body, that we're going to be spending for X, Y, and Z. We're going to forgo that ability. And it's just not something I'm comfortable with."
Legislator Julie Abbott, who also sits on the the Friends of the Onondaga Aquarium foundation, says the issue of oversight is misguided.
"There are processes when you go to apply for a contract, say you want to be a builder and there are actual processes and there are ethics laws we follow," Abbott said. "And personally, I sit on the aquarium's foundation board. I can promise you I'll be your number one whistleblower if anything fishy is going on, no pun intended."
Abbott also maintains that anonymous donations can lead to more funding for the project, providing an avenue for donors who do not want to be recognized.
"I just want to make sure that we're not using public funds, taxpayer dollars any further with this aquarium," Abbott said. "This today solidifies that. And it allows people who really do want this in our community to donate and help be part of the process."