Norwich — A special meeting of the Sachem Fund Committee was canceled abruptly Thursday after members complained that it was inappropriate to hold a meeting to hear a request for funding from the Norwich Historical Society without considering other potential proposals.

The Sachem Fund, formed in 2007 with equal contributions from the city and the Mohegan Tribe, was intended to help support cultural and economic development projects in the Norwich community. The committee's usual process called for announcing a round of funding applications and setting a process for reviewing those proposals. The fund currently has $99,550 remaining.

But in October, Mayor Deberey Hinchey, now chairwoman of the committee, received a letter from the Norwich Historical Society seeking a matching grant of $27,000 to fund two new walking trail brochures. She notified committee members and asked for input on how to handle the request.

Hinchey said at the start of Thursday's meeting that no one responded, so she called a special meeting with the historical society's request on the agenda. Society President William Champagne and consultant Regan Miner attended, prepared to give a presentation on their proposed Freedom Trail tour and “Millionaires' Triangle” tour of mansion homes in the Broadway-Washington streets neighborhood.

Before the presentation could begin, however, committee member Lottie Scott objected to the process and questioned why one proposal would be heard without a round of grant funding requests. Others quickly agreed and Hinchey called for a motion to cancel the meeting, which unanimously was approved.

Instead, the committee will hold a regular meeting in the near future to set guidelines for launching a new round of grant applications and also will address several questions raised Thursday by resident Shiela Hayes, who spoke at the start of the meeting.

Hayes asked for a review of past grant allocations, including $35,000 the historical society received in 2014 for walking tour brochures, and for information about a revolving loan fund that was intended to ensure the Sachem Fund would continue to have funding in future years. The city and the tribe both ceased making contributions to the fund when the recession hit several years ago.

c.bessette@theday.com