AUBURN – More than two weeks after Mayor John Jenkins wrote to dozens of his city’s tax-exempt entities – asking for contributions to Auburn’s general fund – not one has responded with a check.

“It’s still early,” Auburn Finance Director Chris Trenholm said Thursday. “Some people might come forward.”

Some groups may have just received Jenkins’ plea. And legally, they can ignore it.

“The law is clear in allowing nonprofits to be exempt from the collection of taxes,” Jenkins wrote in his Aug. 27 letter.

The plea was initiated after one local organization, the Spurwink School, inquired about making a donation, City Councilor Eric Samson said.

Other groups, including the Auburn Housing Authority, have given money to the city in lieu of taxes.

Jenkins’ letter asks a reasonable question, Samson said.

However, he worried that it might sound too much like a bill. And he’s not alone. Another councilor, Dick Gleason, worried that people might think the council itself was behind the plea.

The Sun Journal was unable to reach Jenkins Thursday for comment. Representatives of a number of local nonprofits were also contacted. Most did not return calls. None confirmed that they had received the controversial letter.

The one-page letter praised nonprofits for their “great work” while describing the city’s search for new ways to “balance our ledger.”

“As you look over your budget, please consider making your financial contribution equal to what would have been a fair and equitable tax for your holdings,” Jenkins wrote.

Most city councilors learned of Jenkins’ plea on Monday. Gleason heard about it two days earlier from his pastor at an Auburn church.

“The mayor’s letter was written on city letterhead,” Gleason said. “There’s an implication there. The mayor is part of the city council team. He just did it on his own.”

Gleason also objected to the message.

Agencies such as schools, churches and hospitals offer valuable services to the city, he said.

“I don’t think the community is ever going to have enough,” he said.

Councilor Bob Mennealy said he thinks the city might find a middle ground on the issue.

While some organizations may be too poor to lend a hand, others might want to pitch in.

“Maybe they shouldn’t donate at the level at which they would be taxed,” he said. “Some could help.”