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Cobb County OKs $108,000 MOU with MUST Ministries for summer cooling shelters amid debate
Summary
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners approved a $108,000 memorandum of understanding with MUST Ministries to provide daytime cooling shelters this summer; the 3-2 vote followed debate about nonprofit selection, budget sizing and whether county facilities could be used instead.
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 on May 13 to approve a memorandum of understanding with MUST Ministries for daytime cooling-shelter services, authorizing up to $108,000 to support the program.
The agreement, presented by emergency management staff, funds cooling shelter operations during daytime hours when temperatures reach 90 degrees or higher and includes meals and screening services for guests. The board vote followed several commissioners’ questions about why a private nonprofit was selected, how the county would staff and oversee services, and whether the program could instead use county facilities.
Emergency management staff said the county explored multiple options, including hosting people at county facilities, but lacked the staffing to operate a daytime shelter safely and consistently. “Because MUST has been a partner in helping people through similar circumstances, they were able to step up,” an emergency management staff member said, explaining that MUST provides security and screening, coordinates wraparound services, and can leverage overflow partnerships with other nonprofits and faith organizations.
Commissioner Cassie Burrell urged the board to revisit the funding level in future budgets, noting the county’s sheltering line item has been budgeted at $500,000 in recent years while actual spending on warming and cooling shelter support has been much lower. “I don’t think it’s the role of government to do this for nonprofits and we do it for one,” Burrell said, asking staff to consider reducing the annual allocation if the county continues the practice.
Commissioner Gamble (recorded in the minutes as opposing) raised concerns that selecting MUST gave that nonprofit an advantage over other organizations and said he had not been included in conversations that led to the selection. Supporters of the MOU said the county invited multiple partners, that MUST offered security and screening capacity other providers lacked, and that the agreement does not preclude other nonprofits from participating in the program or receiving county support in the future.
Emergency management staff also described how the same emergency-sheltering funds have been used for disaster response: after a large apartment fire in June, county emergency shelter funding helped place about 70 people in hotels pending Red Cross and longer-term assistance. Staff emphasized the funds are available for heat- and cold-related sheltering as well as mass-disaster uses, and that hotel vouchers are used when family placement is needed.
The MOU approval was accompanied by discussion of program oversight and next steps. Commissioners asked staff to document outreach to other nonprofits, to report back on actual spending to date, and to propose a recommended budget amount for the sheltering program in the next budget cycle.
The motion to approve the MOU carried with three votes in favor and two opposed; Commissioners Burrell and Gamble were recorded as voting no.
