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Nonprofit leaders, residents urge commission to restore HSAB funding cut from tentative FY2026 budget
Summary
At the budget hearing dozens of residents and nonprofit representatives argued that the county’s proposed cuts to Human Services Advisory Board grants will reduce critical services and the nonprofits’ outside match funding; several speakers urged partial restoration or a midyear review.
Multiple nonprofit leaders and residents used the public comment period at the Sept. 3 hearing to urge Monroe County commissioners to restore funding to agencies that receive Human Services Advisory Board grants.
Jeff Miller (CommConnect) urged reconsideration of program cuts and suggested raising the small user fee to help make the service self‑sustaining: "If you're willing to charge $2 why not charge $4," he said. Jay Good, who said he is employed by a nonprofit but spoke as a concerned resident, told commissioners that "nonprofits are the infrastructure" and warned that redirecting HSAB allocations to county agencies would cover fewer services.
HSAB vice chair Mary Stella described her grant‑review work and said roughly 43% of residents fall below the ALICE threshold; she urged the board to preserve grant funding that supports medical, dental, childcare and mental‑health services. Sherry Schwab, the executive director of the county’s only certified domestic violence center, said outreach staff and half‑time advocates rely on HSAB dollars and that the county could not replicate those services at current county pay scales. Diana Flennard and other speakers highlighted the outside funds nonprofits bring in—estimates in testimony ranged into millions of dollars in matching grants that would be lost if local support is cut.
Speakers and commissioners proposed options including reconvening HSAB to prioritize grants, holding funds in an operational reserve and revisiting allocations after January guidance from Tallahassee, or restoring 25% for a temporary reprieve. Commissioners ultimately voted to adopt the tentative budget as presented and left midyear supplemental appropriation as a future option.
