The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors voted to approve 'Option 10' for FY26 general assistance funding after a lengthy discussion of selection criteria, verification procedures and whether to remove one provider from the funding list.

Supervisor Linda moved for approval of Option 10 after reviewing options; board members discussed whether to remove City United from the list because the county is separately planning a $250,000 award from opioid funds to that organization. A supervisor said removing City United from the FY26 list would reduce the appearance of 'double dipping' because City United is also a planned opioid-funds recipient. Linda told the board she preferred limiting the list to the top 10 applicants and removing organizations that are receiving large separate awards.

Another supervisor raised concerns about 'irresponsible use of funds' and an ongoing investigation involving a provider, and recommended temporarily removing that provider from the funding list. An Operation Threshold board member responded during the meeting, saying, "I serve on the operation threshold board, and I can say that they pass every audit with flying colors. It sounds kinda libelous to me." The exchange remained unresolved in the meeting record; no formal investigation result was reported.

County staff explained the award structure and verification for reimbursement-based grants: funds would be distributed as reimbursements, and organizations would have to submit documentation to justify costs. Staff recommended contracts be more specific and said low-income eligibility could be defined by the county’s general assistance guidelines.

After securing a second, the board took a roll-call vote and approved Option 10. Supervisors instructed staff to include documentation and reimbursement requirements in contracts and to return with any additional details needed to avoid duplication with other funding sources.