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Habitat for Humanity Powhatan requests $35,000; residents urge budget transparency and continued comment
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Summary
During public comment at the April 20 meeting, Habitat for Humanity Powhatan requested $35,000 for critical home repairs in FY27; other residents urged clearer figures on charitable contributions and supported increased donations and tax adjustments.
Susan Wanecki, representing Habitat for Humanity Powhatan, asked the Board of Supervisors for $35,000 in county funds to support the nonprofit's critical home repair work, saying those repairs help older residents and people with disabilities stay safely in their homes longer. Wanecki told the board Habitat's critical repair budget is about $160,000 for FY26 and the organization plans roughly $175,000 for FY27; Habitat performed 77 repairs last year for 64 individuals with an average repair cost of about $1,700.
Fran Carlton, a resident, asked the board to consider cutting the county's $100,500 in prior-year charitable allocations (she listed ten recipients and amounts) to free funds for priorities such as hiring full-time EMTs. Carlton requested greater transparency on the budget's "thoughtful" contribution to fund balance and the concrete numbers that underpin that proposal.
Kelly Crockett of District 5 said she supports increased charitable donations and noted personal experience with Habitat's assistance (repairing a leaking roof and removing a hazardous tree). Crockett said she has compared local tax rates with neighboring counties and voiced support for a tax-rate increase to provide funding for county services.
Procedural outcome: the board voted to continue the public comment period to the regular meeting when it will adopt the budget next Monday to give citizens another opportunity to speak before final action.
