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Councilor seeks roundtable after warnings that federal funding freezes could imperil local nonprofits
Summary
Councilor Davis asked the Astoria City Council to join a coalition discussion on how freezes to federal funding streams could affect local programs. Mike Brosius and North Coast Food Web staff described an immediate shortfall tied to a USDA grant that could result in staff layoffs and reduced local food distribution.
Councilor Davis on Thursday asked the Astoria City Council to participate in a multisector discussion about the local impacts of federal funding changes and to consider sending staff to a convening of local partners, including the county, hospital and nonprofit providers.
"It feels like this is something that would benefit from happening sooner rather than later," Councilor Davis said during the meeting’s new business segment. He asked whether the city should be part of a roundtable to identify impacts and options for supporting organizations facing short‑term funding disruption.
Mike Brosius, who attended the meeting and later spoke during public comment, described downstream effects from a partial freeze of a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to the North Coast Food Web. Brosius said the program typically receives about $500,000 from USDA on a June‑to‑June fiscal cycle but has received only roughly half so far this fiscal year, leaving about $250,000 frozen. "If you look at the North Coast Food Web, they have gotten historically about a $500,000 grant from the USDA, of which so far this year they've gotten approximately half of that…so there's $250,000 approximately that was supposed to be given to them that they had expected," Brosius said.
Brosius outlined specific local consequences he said could follow if the funds do not arrive: six staff positions at risk of elimination, roughly 30 farmers who depend on the food web to sell products, about 90 businesses that use the food web's commercial kitchen, roughly 20 individuals who receive free food weekly, and about 2,600 orders served over a few months that could be disrupted. "One small USDA grant has that impact downstream," Brosius said.
City Manager Mr. Spence said staff would be willing to participate and offered to reach out to Brosius and other partners to schedule a convening. "I could reach out to Mr. Brosius, and we can…coordinate with the other partners," Spence said. Councilor Mozzarella asked whether the meeting would be open to affected organizations and the public; Brosius and staff indicated the intent is to convene a coalition of affected groups and to share findings publicly. Brosius and Councilors suggested the group could identify both immediate backstops (public or private financing) and longer‑term mitigation strategies.
No formal council action was taken. Council members asked staff to follow up to help convene partners and determine options for community education and potential local backstops for organizations affected by the funding changes.
