The Bartlesville City Council on Oct. 6 approved a one‑time payment to license CharityTracker software and authorized creation of an endowed Field of Interest fund through the Bartlesville Community Foundation to support homelessness‑related grants.

The approvals stem from the council’s unsheltered homelessness task force and were presented as a way to coordinate case management and reporting among local nonprofits and helping organizations.

Why it matters: Council members said a unified data and reporting platform would standardize metrics and simplify grant reporting; opponents argued the city should not underwrite tools used by private nonprofits and warned of reduced private donations if the program appears government‑funded.

Council debate and public comment: Resident Eddie Collins told the council he opposed Item 7D6 on constitutional grounds, saying government should limit spending and not "fund nonprofits," and asked councilors to vote no. Angela Utley, another resident, said donors had told her they would reduce giving if a tracker that appears to “track” people is funded by the city and urged the council to require clearer public disclosure and better privacy information before paying for the software.

Council discussion focused on three topics: the one‑time cost this year, how the task force planned to share future costs, and how the Field of Interest fund at the Bartlesville Community Foundation (BCF) would be governed. A council member summarized the budgeted costs cited in the staff report: $10,800 for the software license this year and roughly $4,000 for setup and local web maintenance; staff also told council that CharityTracker’s vendor lists a pro‑level license near $650 per user per year while lower‑tier options can be in the $200 range. According to staff, the plan is to split recurring costs with partners in years two and three so the city’s annual share would fall.

City staff and members of the homelessness task force said the Field of Interest fund would be endowed: donations would remain in the fund while annual interest would fund grants to local helping organizations. Staff said the BCF would screen applications, and that people representing organizations that could receive grants would not serve on the BCF committee that selects recipients.

Outcome and vote: The council approved the software purchase and the Field of Interest fund. The roll call vote recorded in the minutes was: Kirkpatrick — aye; Vice Mayor Dorsey — aye; Sherrick — no; East — aye; Mayor James S. Kurd — aye. Councilors discussed deferring the purchase to allow local fundraising but ultimately voted to pay the one‑time license and proceed with the fund.

Next steps: Staff said the city’s invoice must be paid by Nov. 7. Council and task force members said they would continue fundraising outreach and public education on data privacy and donor impacts.