Board approves nonprofit allocations, sets March 24 public hearing for proposed tax levy

The Carroll County Board of Supervisors approved a slate of nonprofit funding requests and scheduled a public hearing on March 24 at 9 a.m. on the county's proposed fiscal-year tax levy.

Supervisors reviewed requests that draw from different funding sources (general fund, rural services and local-option sales tax) and confirmed allocations for established programs including regionwide transit, RSVP, elder services and local libraries. The board approved multiple line items at the levels requested or at level funding after brief presentations and review of prior-year support.

Key nonprofit allocations approved or continued at the meeting included: - New Opportunities (general funding for services): continued at prior funding level of $13,000. - Region 12 transit and membership costs: continued at prior funding levels to support regional transit and housing trust activities. - RSVP and senior programs: continued at prior funding levels (RSVP request capped at $9,000; elder-care funding maintained). - Local libraries (Carroll and other incorporated libraries): board opted for level funding rather than the full requested increase, citing the rural population share and state per-capita considerations. - Family Resource/Childcare support and local daycare assistance: board assigned level or modest funding, with several supervisors noting the community role of child-care services.

The board discussed a capital request from a local heritage group to restore park buildings and a barn. The group asked for $75,000 toward a capital campaign. Supervisors did not approve the full amount at once; instead, several supervisors recommended committing to phased support. The board agreed in concept to provide two years of support and settled on $20,000 in county funding in each of the next two budget years to help leverage other grants and private contributions.

Supervisors emphasized the conditional nature of some allocations: a number of projects request county dollars to leverage state and federal matching grants. The board noted that obligating county funds would typically be contingent on the grantees securing match funding or completing project milestones.

Public hearing date: Supervisors set the public hearing on the proposed tax levy for March 24 at 9 a.m. The clerk was instructed to publish required notices and to prepare the levy figures for the Department of Management filing, with a target to test levy scenarios using two county-contribution levels (the report asked staff to model at least $300,000 and $400,000 in county contribution scenarios to show levy impacts). A supervisor noted that the scenarios would be prepared and presented in advance of the publication deadline so the county could meet state filing requirements.

What happens next: County staff will incorporate the approved nonprofit allocations into the proposed budget and publish the required notice for the March 24 tax-levy hearing. Supervisors asked staff to prepare levy-scenario worksheets and to provide final budget documents for review at a follow-up meeting prior to the publication deadline.