Members of the Augusta-Richmond County Commission voted to eliminate discretionary funding for non-governmental organizations after a lengthy debate that included public-health officials testifying that their department is not an NGO and that steep cuts would harm core services.

"We are not a a nongovernmental organization. We are a governmental organization, an extension of Augusta Richmond County Commission and the state of Georgia," Denise Sellers, the district administrator for the East Central Public Health District, told commissioners. She and Health Director Dr. Lehi Donahue warned that a 10% cut would be manageable but a larger reduction — a 50% scenario discussed during the meeting — could force the health department to close a South Augusta site and scale back clinical programs.

Commissioners, pressed by a large list of public requests, debated a two-step approach: launching a formal, competitive application process for NGO funding in January (for 2027 allocations), and making immediate, targeted reductions for FY2026. The commission ultimately voted to remove discretionary NGO line items, while leaving mandatory or quasi-governmental organizations on the budget at reduced levels.

Finance staff said the discretionary removals would free roughly $998,000 toward the county shortfall; the administrator said the removed services could reapply under a newly designed process. Several commissioners urged the county to clarify which agencies are quasi-governmental (for example, the land bank, development authority and regional commissions) before cutting funding.

The vote to remove discretionary NGO funding was among several contested budget steps taken during the meeting; other revenue and cut proposals failed to gain a majority. Commissioners scheduled follow-up sessions to refine the resulting budget and to consider staff proposals for offsetting the remaining deficit.