Commission directs staff to pause some longstanding donations and allocate $36,000 to Dare to Care amid rising local need
Loading...
Summary
Amid reports that residents sent to an existing aging-and-disability agency were turned away, the commission voted 4-1 to halt scheduled payments pending review, to remit $36,000 immediately to Dare to Care for Thanksgiving distribution, and to request presentations from the agency and comparable nonprofits.
The commission voted 4-1 on Nov. 12 to pause part of Tamarac's longstanding charitable allocation process, to remit $36,000 to the Dare to Care food-distribution program and to direct staff to call in the Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities (ADRC) and other like nonprofits to present services and usage data.
Vice Mayor Keisha Daniel asked staff to split a previously budgeted $72,000 allocation to the ADRC in half, so $36,000 would continue to support ADRC services and $36,000 would be sent to Dare to Care to expand monthly local food bank availability in Tamarac. Daniel said residents sent to ADRC had been turned away and that Dare to Care had seen funding cuts affecting its local food drives.
Finance staff confirmed the $72,000 allocation has a long history in the city budget and that the item has been included in prior budgets; the city manager and city attorney asked staff to research whether past resolutions or agreements created any requirement to continue the funding without change. Commissioners nonetheless adopted a motion directing staff to halt payment pending review, to remit $36,000 to Dare to Care as soon as possible and to bring ADRC and similar organizations before the commission to demonstrate service levels and geographic coverage.
Commissioner Marlon Bolton moved the directive to treat Dare to Care "in the same manner" as the existing agency and to halt disbursement until the review is complete; the motion passed 4-1 with Mayor Gomez opposed.
What happens next: Finance will research the origin of the ADRC allocation and return with documentation; staff will also invite Dare to Care and other nonprofits offering similar services to present operational data and evidence of residents served. The $36,000 payment to Dare to Care was approved for immediate remittance pending administrative action.
