Norwalk committee reviews proposed 7% increase to Community Services budget; city to absorb Community Resource Hub

NORWALK, Conn. — At its January 2025 Community Services Committee meeting, Chief Lamond Daniels presented a proposed FY2026 operating budget that would raise the Community Services Department’s operating request from roughly $9.6 million to about $10.2 million — an increase of nearly $700,000, or about 7% — and seek to fold the privately funded Community Resource Hub into the city’s operating budget.

The change would shift the hub from grant support into a permanent city budget line that the department estimates will cost $226,680 to fund three full-time navigators and operating needs. "This represents 3 navigators and all of the things that it takes to have the Community Resource Hub function," Anna Vivian Estrella, director of human services, said during the presentation.

Why it matters: Department leaders told the committee the Hub — established during the COVID response and recognized with a municipal award — served more than 1,000 households last year and provides centralized intake, case navigation and referrals to food, housing and other services. Chief Lamond Daniels said the department serves Norwalk’s roughly 92,000 residents and described the budget as an effort to balance fiscal restraint with service needs. "We take the responsibility of managing taxpayer dollars seriously," Daniels said.

What the budget would fund: The packet presented department-level drivers and priorities: - Human services: a roughly 21% increase in the human services lines tied primarily to incorporating the Community Resource Hub into the operating budget and paying staff wages. - Health department: staffing requests to meet increased state regulatory requirements, including converting a part-time environmental/lead position to full-time and continuing a public-health nurse currently supported by expiring grant dollars. Health Director Deanna D'Amour told the committee the state’s Public Act 22-49 lowered action levels for childhood lead exposure and created a substantial rise in required case management, on-site inspections and epidemiologic work. "We need to ensure that the staffing is placed in place to in order to meet the to meet those demands," D'Amour said. - Library: a modest operations request including a $15,000 increase for materials and an increase in grounds and parking contract costs to $35,000 (from $10,000), driven by a contractual payment for 17 parking spaces at $600 each and added landscaping and snow removal needs. Library Director Cherrell (Cheryl) Harris also highlighted expanded services such as digital resources, live tutoring and pilot telehealth equipment checkout.

Health department detail: D'Amour outlined work the department now performs — immunizations, disease prevention, clinical care and inspections — and said some previously grant-funded positions or programs need local operating support as grants expire. The department reported converting vaccine clinics from two a month to two a week and completing more than 2,000 patient visits in the prior fiscal year. D'Amour said lead-case investigations can require 20–25 hours of combined environmental and nursing staff time per case, and the department expects caseload-related inspections to rise sharply under the state law.

Library requests and context: Harris said demand for digital and downloadable materials rose in the pandemic and that the library has long lacked an increase to its materials budget. She said e-book licensing costs can be substantially higher than print and that holds on popular items have grown.

Funding sources and partnerships: Department leaders said the Community Resource Hub was initially supported by private philanthropy — including the Ritter Family Foundation and a partner foundation referenced in the presentation — and that the mayor’s office, CFO and funders have discussed options to transition the program to city funding. Estrella said partners "were kind enough to hold it for an additional year while we were able to adjust our budget." The health department continues to leverage federal and state grants where possible; D'Amour said one tuberculosis-related grant ended and a WIC subcontract serves about 1,314 clients monthly.

Questions and next steps: Committee members pressed department leaders on priorities and impacts if the requests are not funded. Daniels, Estrella and D'Amour all identified staffing for the Community Resource Hub, lead-case compliance staffing, and preservation of clinic and prevention services as top priorities. D'Amour said that if the city does not fund the additional staff, the department would have to reallocate or reduce other services, including potential reductions in clinic appointments and other inspection work. Daniels said initial conversations with the mayor’s office and CFO were positive about finding identified funding, but he emphasized the numbers presented were preliminary and subject to the city’s budget process.

Votes at a glance: The committee unanimously approved acceptance of the minutes from its Nov. 20, 2024 meeting. Councilperson Heather Dunn moved the motion; no second was recorded on the record. The minutes acceptance carried with all voting members in favor.

Public comment: Resident Diane Loracella of Little Fox Lane used her three-minute public comment to urge more preventive disease outreach, full-time lead and toxic-material inspectors, expanded free KN95 mask distribution and progress on the main library renovation. "Prevention is paramount related to the need for additional infectious disease outreach," Loracella said.

The committee will continue review of the city budget through the municipal process; department leaders said they would provide additional detail and respond to follow-up questions as the CFO and mayor’s office move the city’s budget forward.