McMinnville officials refrained from mentioning anyone by name during a recent discussion about using taxpayer dollars to help private businesses. A new policy gained momentum it lacked in April.Two months ago, Dr. Jeffrey McKinley came before the city board asking for financial assistance in the installation of gutters and curbing as water run-off measures he was required by law to do in constructing a new office on the corner of Caldwell and Mullican streets.A joint meeting of Streets and Sanitation Committee members Aldermen Rick Barnes, chairman, Billy Wood and Jimmy Bonner, and Finance Committee members Aldermen Ken Smith, chairman, Ben Newman and Mike Neal was held to consider the request.The measure divided the alderment when Barnes, Smith and Bonner voted in favor of spending $2,350 in labor and materials for the work, while Wood, Neal and Newman voted against it. Smith encouraged the measure for economic development within the city as, according to McKinley, he will be hiring two additional professionals and two more support staff at $260,000 a year.Wood discouraged the measure because it would require city taxpayers to subsidize the financial expenses of someone else’s project and accused fellow members of playing “good old boy politics” for attempting to help McKinley specifically.This time, city officials refrained from mentioning anyone by name.“Mr. Chairman, we’ve had some discussion in the past about a request that was made of us to help one of the local businesses that is expanding and will be creating additional payroll,” said Smith.