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City council places Belmont Pop Warner funding on consent; residents and coaches urge ongoing support
Summary
Schenectady City Council moved a resolution supporting funding for Belmont Pop Warner onto the consent agenda and approved it; residents and program leaders urged sustained support while council members said the approved funds are one-time ARPA and future funding will be considered in the 2026 budget.
The Schenectady City Council on June 9 placed a resolution supporting funding for Belmont Pop Warner onto its consent agenda and moved the item forward with unanimous consent.
The action follows a sustained public comment period in which parents, program volunteers and former players urged the council to provide money for uniforms, cheer mats, travel and other costs that community members say hamper competitiveness and safety. Speakers who identified themselves with the program described heavy reliance on volunteer labor and fundraising to keep the program running.
The public push began during the legislative public comment period. Alyssa Hill, identifying herself as co-coordinator of the Belmont cheer program, said the program “significantly lacks” equipment such as cheer mats and storage and that fundraising has not covered the shortfall. William Kent, identifying himself as “the current president of Schenectady Belmont Pop Warner,” said participation has grown since 2021 from about six or seven teams to more than triple that number and described the organization as “part of the fabric of the community.”
Other speakers echoed those themes. DC Dunkel, who said he is a Belmont alumnus, told the council, “We’re not beggars in the marketplace. We’re not asking you to fully fund our program. We’re asking you to support our program.” Parents and longtime residents described youth development, discipline and stability as program benefits.
Council members said they heard the public testimony. Council Member Patrick explained the funding approved that evening is a one-time allocation drawn from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources and said it will not recur after this year. “The ARPA funding that we used today is not gonna be here after this year,” Patrick said; she said the Parks Department and council should consider youth recreation funding as part of the 2026 budget process.
Council Member Farley and others spoke in support of the program as an investment in youth and community stability, noting that some municipal investments yield ongoing revenue while youth programming is primarily an expense-driven community benefit.
Ending: The resolution supporting Belmont Pop Warner was moved by Council Member Williams and seconded by Council Member Mancini to place the item on the consent agenda and was carried by unanimous consent. Council members and speakers emphasized that the approved money is a one-time ARPA allocation and that any recurring support would be considered as part of next year’s budget discussions.
