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Commissioners defer $11,000 funding request for local mission, ask staff to verify tax-exempt status
Summary
The board asked staff to verify the tax status and potential religious affiliation of a mission seeking $11,000 in noncompetitive nonprofit funding and deferred the decision until the next work session after commissioners raised concerns about duplicate services and whether concentrating services in Lexington Park would act as a magnet for need.
The St. Mary's County Board of Commissioners on May 2 deferred action on an $11,000 nonprofit funding request from a mission that provides services including showers and other assistance to people experiencing homelessness. Commissioners asked staff to verify the mission's tax-exempt status and whether its activities had a religious component before approving public funds.
Commissioners raised two core concerns: possible duplication of services with the existing 3 Oaks homeless center and whether adding or concentrating services in Lexington Park could attract additional need to that neighborhood. Commissioner Todd Morgan and other commissioners cited statistics on Section 8 housing units and free-and-reduced-meal eligibility in local schools as context for their reservations about increasing services in Lexington Park without first confirming unmet needs countywide.
Staff said an initial nonprofit-review team of three reviewers had scored the application and, after a second review prompted by commissioner questions, recommended funding because the reviewers did not find duplication of services with 3 Oaks. Department of Social Services director Ella Mae Russell was reported to have supported funding after staff inquiries and noted gaps in services, including a need for places where people can shower.
Nut graf: The board did not deny funding but deferred final action so staff can confirm the mission's tax status and any religious affiliation and provide more detail about service gaps and potential duplication; the item will return to the next work session.
Several commissioners said they would seek further direct conversation with mission leadership and with representatives from 3 Oaks to confirm whether the mission's services would overlap or fill an unmet need. Staff agreed to provide documentation of the mission's nonprofit status, any applicable tax-exemption documentation, and the reviewers' scoring notes before the next meeting.
Ending: The funding request remains in the FY2018 recommended budget pending verification of the mission's tax status and a follow-up staff report.
