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Committee backs reconciliation entries for BlackRock Center and Wheaton mural amid CEC cuts
Summary
Committee staff recommended adding two community engagement cluster items to the reconciliation list — a $125,000 amendment for BlackRock Center services and a $25,000 one‑time mural for the Wheaton Library/Community Rec Center — while also flagging reductions in advertising and community initiatives that could affect outreach.
Council staff presented the community engagement cluster (CEC) FY27 recommendation, a $436,706 increase that includes two items flagged for the reconciliation list: a $125,000 amendment to support the BlackRock Center for the Arts and a $25,000 one‑time mural for the new Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center. Staff also noted $152,000 in reductions across regional services centers and multicultural communications that could affect outreach.
Council Vice President Balcom explained why the BlackRock funding matters to Up‑county residents, citing BlackRock's local programming and services: "BlackRock is the community anchor for Germantown, for Clarksburg, and really the Up County...they also provide showers for our unhoused population once a week," Balcom said, asking the committee to accept the amendment and place it on the reconciliation list.
Staff noted the CEC's OBET rating of 6, indicating a sustained commitment to racial equity and social justice but also identified shortcomings in how the cluster documents and communicates that work. Committee members asked how the proposed advertising and professional contracting reductions would affect ability to reach marginalized communities; staff said they aimed to protect the deepest impact areas while stretching limited resources.
The committee agreed to add the two items to the reconciliation list and recommended the CEC budget to full council with a request that staff include more context for colleagues who will review the reconciliation entries.
