Jackson County lawmakers hear funding requests from more than 50 nonprofits in outside-agency hearing

Jackson County legislators convened an outside-agency budget hearing where more than 50 nonprofit providers presented requests for 2027 funding to support housing stability, health care access, workforce training, violence prevention, and youth services. Donna Peyton, a member of the county legislature, opened the meeting noting that 157 organizations had applied and urged presenters to keep to the allotted time so colleagues could hear as many requests as possible.

Presenters outlined detailed program goals and budget asks: Matty Rhodes requested $50,750 for two full‑time case managers to support behavioral‑health and housing stability work; MOCSA sought $50,000 to fund school‑based educators and crisis services; Planned Parenthood Great Plains described a request to train advanced practice clinicians to expand reproductive‑health capacity in Jackson County; and Save KC requested $500,000 to sustain social‑services case management linked to its focused‑deterrence violence‑reduction model. United Way asked for $100,000 to continue a flexible debit‑card emergency assistance pilot that previously distributed roughly $800,000 and served about 870 households.

Legislators asked clarifying questions about program reach, measurable outcomes, and matching funding. For example, John Fierro of Matty Rhodes told the committee the agency "would use those funds, split them up evenly, and apply them to 2 full time individuals," and MOCSA representatives confirmed they served about 37,000 people in Jackson County last year. Several presenters stressed rising costs and shrinking federal support; multiple agencies described leveraging other public and private funds while requesting county dollars for core service continuity. The committee held two unrelated resolutions on county contracts and adjourned after the outside‑agency presentations.