Contract Review Committee asks town to preserve $825,000 for human services in FY27 and seek inflation adjustments

The Nantucket Contract Review Committee voted unanimously June 27 to ask town management and the select board to preserve $825,000 for human-services grants in fiscal year 2027, including a portion that would remain restricted for substance-misuse programs.

Committee members also directed staff to build a multi-year process to keep the funding level tied to rising costs so the pool does not erode over time. The motion authorized staff to draft a letter that will be reviewed by the committee before being sent to town management and the finance department.

Why it matters: the committee said portions of the town’s human-services funding historically have been supported by the recreational cannabis sales-tax allocation and, in prior years, by other town reserve mechanisms. Committee members said those sources have become less predictable and that the overall human-services allocation has not kept pace with local price increases and higher service-delivery costs.

What the committee asked for - A letter to town and the select board requesting $825,000 for human-services grants for FY27, with a portion explicitly reserved for substance-misuse programming. The committee instructed staff to define the restricted portion in consultation with finance prior to finalizing the letter. - A process to request inflation adjustments in subsequent fiscal years tied to an upcoming needs assessment and a chosen cost-index (committee discussed purchasing-power or inflation metrics) so funding maintains purchasing power.

Staff briefing and needs assessment Town staff member Jericho Meeley described the timing and purpose of a pending needs assessment. He said the committee’s intent is to set a funding floor now and use the needs-assessment results to support requests for additional funding in future years. He told the committee the current contracting process was a sealed-bid selection and that the full needs-assessment report should be available prior to the next funding cycle.

Committee rationale and follow-up Committee members emphasized that the recreational cannabis tax is legally tied to substance-misuse funding and that the committee wants the overall human-services pool to be preserved even if that revenue source changes. The committee voted to authorize staff to draft the letter; staff will coordinate with finance before presenting a final draft at the committee’s next meeting, scheduled for July 18.

Next steps - Staff to draft the FY27 funding-request letter seeking $825,000, specify the substance-misuse restricted portion in consultation with finance, and include language requesting an inflation/price-parity adjustment in subsequent years. - Committee to review and approve the draft at its July 18 meeting before the letter is sent to the select board and finance.