Commissioners Trim Non-Profit Funding Allocations; County Cuts $65K To Record Meetings

SNOW HILL – County leaders expressed concern over growing funding requests from local non-profits at a budget work session this week.

As the Worcester County Commissioners began tackling the county’s $22 million budget shortfall — going through the budget proposals from most county departments Tuesday — several questioned the $791,000 set to go to local social service organizations.

“I think we need to take a serious look at all of them,” said Jim Bunting, president of the commissioners.

Originally, local non-profits, considered “Other Social Services” by the county, requested $843,807 for FY 2016. A committee of county staff tweaked that request, bringing it down to $791,028. That included flat funding for all organizations except the Worcester County Developmental Center and the Cricket Center, both of which were to receive slight increases. The proposed grant for the developmental center was $223,000, or $2,000 more than last year’s grant, while the Cricket Center was set to receive $12,000, about $3,500 more than it received last year.

Bunting pointed out non-profits had all been started by people committed to fundraising to support a cause.

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