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Tallahassee Democrat, (FL) Sunday, Jun. 19, 2005 Women, kids on money seesaw By Jeff Burlew DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER Two local programs designed to help troubled women and children found themselves in financial limbo last week after Leon County officials voted first to give them money and later to cut them. Commissioners are going through the annual process of deciding which community groups will get taxpayer help. In recent years, they've increasingly said yes to those that apply; the amount given has nearly tripled in four yours. County staff members have recommended reining that in next year and spreading about $1.1 million among about a dozen groups that do everything from run a Celtic festival to patch up injured wildlife. Out of nearly $2 million in requests, commissioners opted not to give $212,000 to the Tallahassee Coalition for the Homeless to help finish its women's dorm. But they voted to match up to $56,000 in cash raised by the organization. One of the two groups in limbo is Mothers in Crisis, which is seeking $50,000 for a new program to keep women from repeated arrests and stays at the county jail. The Public Defender's Office and Legal Services of North Florida are seeking $45,000 to help kids at the center of some of the toughest cases in juvenile court. Commissioners initially voted last Tuesday to fund the Women Helping Women and Team Child programs. But after a lunch break, they changed their minds. Later in the meeting, commissioners revisited the requests and asked Mothers in Crisis to have its program reviewed by the public-safety committee, which includes elected and court officials. After that, commissioners considered a motion that would have approved money for Team Child without requiring the program to face a similar review. That prompted Commissioner Bill Proctor to raise his voice and bang his hand repeatedly on the dais. "How come colored people got to do something different from everybody else?" Proctor asked. "It's wrong. It's just plain wrong." Commissioners then unanimously approved a motion by Proctor for Team Child to face the same review. In a later interview, Proctor said he was angry over the possibility that a program with black oversight would have to go through more hoops than one with white oversight. Both Mothers in Crisis founder Rosalind Tompkins and Public Defender Nancy Daniels expressed hope that the public-safety committee will recommend their programs. "I'm confident that when the commission reconsiders this, that we will have made our case," Daniels said. Working within constraints Proctor wondered why some groups receive county funding while others don't. "It's just willy-nilly," he said of the process. "It's arbitrary. It's capricious." Chairman Cliff Thaell, however, said commissioners are simply trying to help local groups while keeping spending under control. "We want to help make the community better within the constraints," he said. Each spring, commissioners approve a list of agencies that could potentially receive funding. The agencies then submit detailed proposals, and county staff members recommend which programs should get money. The recommendations are based on the commission's historical funding of the groups as well as factors such as the county's overall budget situation and whether the groups might be eligible for money elsewhere, said Alan Rosenzweig, the county's budget director. Each year, a number of programs also seek money through the Community Human Services Partnership, a collaboration of the county, the city of Tallahassee and the United Way. This year, some 65 groups have asked for a total of $7.1 million for 120 different programs. The partnership has only $4.7 million to give, leaving a shortfall of $2.4 million. The money is for operating expenses and can't be used for building projects. This year, the county has set aside more than $700,000 for the partnership. Groups Leon County plans to fund so far Cultural Resource Commission grants program: $407,000 Cultural Resource Commission arts agency: $165,000 Tallahassee Senior Citizen Foundation: $141,351 DISC Village: $107,000 St. Francis Wildlife Foundation: $75,000 Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation: $62,500 Tallahassee Coalition for the Homeless: $56,000 Mission San Luis: $50,000 Legal Services of North Florida: $40,000 Big Brothers/Big Sisters: $25,000 Legal Aid Foundation: $23,000 Keep Tallahassee/Leon County Beautiful: $15,000 Apalachee Regional Planning Council: $5,000 Celtic Festival: $5,000 Celebrate America: $2,500 Martin Luther King Day: $2,000
What's next June 29: Two local programs, Team Child and Women Helping Women, will present funding requests to Leon County's public-safety committee. Sept. 13 and 20: Public
hearings are held for county commissioners to decide overall
spending priorities for next year. |