The city of Warrenton has agreed to pay $20,000 to help Jordan’s Place, a local nonprofit teen community center, to afford its rent and utilities for the next year.City leaders say Jordan’s Place provides a valuable service to the community by giving teens a safe place and positive activities to spend their time, rather than becoming involved with drugs or other illegal activities.That improves the public health and welfare of the community as a whole, according to a funding agreement with the organization.The agreement was approved Aug. 15 with a 3-1 vote from the Warrenton Board of Aldermen. It will be effective until the end of the city’s fiscal year in June 2018.A provision of the agreement states money from the city will be paid directly to the nonprofit’s landlord and utility providers.Warrenton Director of Operations Terri Thorn said Jordan’s Place will submit invoices for rent and utilities, which the city will then pay to vendors.Jordan’s Place first began operation in 2015. Those who run it say the money from the city will solve, or at least postpone, a major fundraising challenge.“It’s a huge, huge relief,” said Jordan’s Place co-founder Kelli Clodfelter.“For the last two years, we have fundraised every dime to focus on just keeping the doors open and paying our bills.”The influx of funding will make it easier to put other money toward replacing worn-out entertainment systems, she said. With enough daily traffic to have 5,000 visits in a year, she said the donated video and arcade game equipment is seeing a lot of wear and tear.Clodfelter emphasized the importance of putting resources toward the games and activities that draw youth to Jordan’s Place instead of wandering around town.“The whole goal is to make it so awesome that that’s where the kids want to come, so we don’t have our youth walking around Warrenton, because that leads to nothing but trouble,” she said.Co-founder Cathy Pritchett explained that keeping the youth center running has required personal spending by the volunteers who run Jordan’s Place.“(Board members are) not only volunteering their time, but also volunteering their money to keep the doors open over the first two years,” Pritchett said.She added many community businesses have been dedicated supporters and regularly host fundraisers for Jordan’s Place. The landlord of the building Jordan’s Place leases has also been a generous supporter, Pritchett said, allowing some leeway on the rent for the property.With the city of Warrenton relieving some fundraising pressure, Jordan’s Place will have the time and opportunity to pursue long-term operational grants from other sources, Pritchett said.The organization also has a major fundraising concert planned for Oct. 7 at the River City Rascals stadium in O’Fallon she said. The headlining band is Shotgun Creek, and the MC for the event will be Malissa Booth, aka Madame Voodoo, she said.Financing debateThe total Jordan’s Place operating budget for 2017 is about $36,000, according to a budget document from the organization.Excluding money from fundraising and from the city, Jordan’s Place expects to have about $5,100 in stable funding from several sources this year. That compares to expected expenditures of $16,200 for rent, $4,600 for electricity, $3,200 for insurance, $3,000 for general supplies, $2,700 for Charter Spectrum services and $5,000 for an audit.Receiving $20,000 from Warrenton relieves a lot of financial pressure for this year, but city leaders said they don’t plan to annually support the organization to that extent.Ward 2 Alderman Gary Auch was a vocal supporter of the funding, but said during an Aug. 1 meeting that Jordan’s Place shouldn’t expect to get another $20,000 next year.Ward 3 Alderman Gary Miller objected to providing funding for Jordan’s Place, questioning whether the move is a good use of city tax dollars.“As aldermen, we have the fiduciary responsibility to have the money available from taxpayers mostly for infrastructure,” he said.“I’m not saying (Jordan’s Place) doesn’t do a great job. I’m just trying to wrestle with the fiduciary responsibility we have versus the social issues.”Ward 1 Alderman Greg Costello asked Police Chief Larry Ellard if Jordan’s Place has helped the work of police.“As far as being able to quantify how many kids are not doing drugs because they’re taking advantage of Jordan’s Place, I couldn’t actually put a number on it,” Ellard said. “I do know when I go by there, I see that the place is full of kids. I know those kids are there and they’re not out doing anything else.”Clodfelter and Pritchett said if they cannot find another stable funding source after this year, they would be willing to seek a different location with lower rent. However, they expressed skepticism that another location would fit their requirements of being within walking distance of schools and having enough space.Aldermen voted 3-1 to approve the funding for Jordan’s Place. Auch, Ward 1 Alderman Mike Shilharvey and Ward 2 Alderman Scott Schulze voted in favor. Gary Miller voted against. Costello and Ward 3 Alderman John Miller were absent.Jordan's Place