You’ve probably heard of online fundraising websites like Kickstarter and Go Fund Me
Well, the City of Las Vegas has launched a site of its own.
It’s called the Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE, and it lets people donate to causes like homelessness, education and public art.
Las Vegas Mayor Caroline Goodman explained that LIFE stood for Liveability, Innovation, Future and Education.
The liveability component includes the homeless resources courtyard, the city's book festival and youth sports. Innovation is, of course, technology and all the ways the city can use technology. The future is the city's young people and how they're going to be ready for the workforce. And finally, education, which includes the city's Strong Start Academies and pre-schools.
Goodman said many other mayors around the country are using similar fundraising campaigns, including LA's mayor Eric Garcetti. She said the tax base of many cities just does not cover the needs.
“As you can imagine the enormity of helping our homeless population, the city can’t do it off the property tax, sales tax and other small taxes that are already overburdened,” she said.
Goodman said the taxes that are collected currently are already going into specific projects and those taxes are not going up.
“They are pretty stable," she said, "They’re just not increasing as the need of the city and obligations we have to make sure we’re doing our part, protecting our citizens, helping our citizens, giving the infrastructure we need to do.”
The fund has already received donations from MGM Resorts International and the Molasky Group. She said the dollar amount in there now is around $150,000 and $160,000.
“Anyone of these entities that we’ve discussed could swallow that in a minute,” she said.
Goodman said she would like to see the private sector step up and donate, especially because of what it could mean in the effort to address homelessness in Nevada.
“Our hope is that the private sector will help us because it really benefits the private sector,” she said.
Carolyn Goodman, mayor, City of Las Vegas