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Commissioners press county staff for clear protocol on $10,000 HRC budget as event plans stall
Summary
Commissioners said a previously disclosed $10,000 annual budget for the Human Relations Commission has not been accompanied by a clear process to access funds; staff said a protocol is under review and expected by the next meeting, and organizers postponed a signature event to avoid risking unspent funds.
Commissioners told staff they have repeatedly sought clarity about how to access the Human Relations Commission’s annual budget and raised concern that funds not used by Dec. 31 could be absorbed back into the county general account.
Chair Thornton said the commission has sought budget information "ad nauseam since February 2025" and called the lack of a clear protocol unacceptable because it prevented the commission from executing approved programs, including a signature event that community volunteers had largely planned for Oct. 17.
Rashawn Bridal said a written protocol for budget requests is under review by the county administration/office of law (AO), and staff cannot responsibly announce a remaining balance until that review is complete. "I don't want to say that it is 11,000 or 2,000 at this moment because it's being reviewed," he said.
Signature-event organizers said community partners had committed in-kind resources and that the event was postponed to allow time for proper promotion and to avoid risking unused funds; commissioners discussed internal fundraising and personal sponsorships as stop-gap measures.
What happens next: staff said the protocol and an accounting of expenditures versus the $10,000 allocation should be available by the next meeting. Commissioners asked staff to prioritize the written procedure so subcommittees can vote on allocations before the end of the year.
