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Council declines to adopt $250,000 downtown outreach appropriation after controller asks to re-advertise from opioid settlement funds
Summary
Council was asked by Controller Jessica McClellan to vote against a $250,000 general-fund appropriation for the downtown outreach program so the request can be re-advertised from opioid settlement funds. Council complied and the appropriation failed as requested; controller said hearings will resume after re-advertisement with the new funding source.
An appropriation ordinance (20 25-01) to add $250,000 from the general fund for the downtown outreach grant program was introduced and the council held a public hearing on Feb. 5. Controller Jessica McClellan told council she had advertised the hearing as required but asked members to vote against adopting the appropriation out of the general fund because staff intends to re-advertise the appropriation using opioid-settlement funds that better match recipient services.
McClellan said the downtown outreach program had historically used parking-meter funds since 2018 but that parking-meter expenditures are not an allowable source for this program; Monroe County has used opioid-settlement funds for similar providers and the controller argued those settlement funds were a better fit for organizations that serve people with opioid substance-use disorder. She asked the council to deny the general-fund appropriation so staff could re-advertise the hearing with the correct fund identified. Council voted in the negative on the appropriation consistent with the controller’s request, and the ordinance failed by roll call (0 yes, 9 no recorded in the transcript). McClellan said the administration plans to bring the appropriation back for first reading from the opioid settlement fund on Feb. 19 with another hearing scheduled for March 5.
What happens next: The appropriation will be re-advertised from the opioid-settlement fund; council will reconsider the grant appropriation on future dates announced by the controller.
