City of York budget officials described the Community Ecosystem Coordinator program at the Oct. 28 budget hearing and said private donations — principally from WellSpan — pay coordinator salaries and program costs, not general-tax dollars.

Tammy Harvey Bethea, interim director of Economic and Community Development, said the program had two full‑time coordinators this year and that the cost shown in the draft budget is $40,000. “They assisted well over 200 individuals,” Bethea said, listing services coordinators provide: help completing utility-assistance applications, property-tax and rental-rebate forms, enrollment in the state’s PAHAF homeowner relief program, and information about neighborhood food distribution events.

Program role and reach: The coordinators seek people who are disconnected from formal assistance channels — seniors with limited transportation or people without reliable internet access — and provide in-person help, including application completion and document submission. Betsy Buckingham, a council member, praised coordinator Erica Bryant for outreach and prompt communication with residents and council staff.

Funding and restrictions: Robertson and Bethea said the coordinator work is supported by private donations that are rolled over year to year; they emphasized the program has never tapped general-tax revenues for its direct client services. Bethea said the city is reviewing whether extra donated carryover can cover coordinator costs entirely in 2026.

Ending: Budget staff said donation funds and grant rollovers will be reconciled for the proposed budget and that they expect to update the public on any changes to the coordinator funding before final adoption.