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Six nonprofit organizations will share a piece of $80,000 in health and human services funding from the City of Apache Junction.
The City Council recently voted 6-1 to approve the funding, with Councilmember Jeff Struble voting no.
“Just on principle ... I cannot in good conscience approve contracts that are being funded by the government; no,” Mr. Struble said when voting.
The Apache Junction Health and Human Services Commission met earlier this year to consider funding requests and voted on recommendations in May including the following that were approved July 7 by the City Council:
Apache Junction Community Development Corp., $6,000 for community revitalization, playground projects, transport, sign removal, Make a Difference Day and a brick memorial. The agency had sought $24,000.
Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley, $16,750 for staff that will provide programs. It had sought $30,000.
Community Alliance Against Family Abuse, $17,450 for intervention services. CAAFA had sought $18,000,
Genesis Project, $10,500 for operations. It had sought $12,000.
Horizon Health and Wellness, $9,500 for mental health first aid training. It had sought $25,000.
Superstition Food Bank, $19,800 for operations. The food bank had sought $27,500.
Agencies that were accepted for funding will sign agreements effective July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021.
“(A)ll agencies receiving funding for fiscal year 2020-21, be advised that they are obligated to strictly adhere to all terms and conditions as set forth in the contracts and be subject to contract cancellation if they fail to do so,” Councilmember Robin Barker said as part of the motion for approval.
The health and human services funding had been in a consent agenda with other items but was pulled for separate vote by Mr. Struble, who had an alternative list. He proposed taking $5,000 from funding for the Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley and giving CAAFA an extra $1,000, for a total of $18,450; providing the Superstition Food Bank an extra $2,000, for a total of $21,500; and giving Genesis an extra $2,000, for a new total of $12,500.
The changes in funding are needed because of COVID-19 concerns, he said.
“I think that would be better served by the money that we’re expending on the nonprofits to serve the mental health issues that are being caused by the people that are having to stay in-house, choosing to stay in-house; the numbers of people ... unfortunately, the number of reports that are coming out of people having to deal with family abuse, sexual abuse, everything that goes along with it; and then also, with the reduction of people having jobs and lack of income,” he said.
“I know for a fact that the food banks --- whether it’s our AJ food bank, different churches around town, the Salvation Army --- they are providing more and more food to the community members. And then also Genesis, which provides actual food to our homeless population and to ... people who are in need of sustenance throughout the week and such. And I just feel that this would be a better use of our money to provide the services and the needs of our community,” Mr. Struble said.
“I just wanted to make sure it’s a vote on its own so that people understand the importance of what we’re doing here,” he said. “As everybody knows, I have questions and concerns about public money going to nonprofits, but it’s been approved in the budget and it’s going to be approved, I just want to make sure that everybody sees the contracts and that we properly approve them on its own as opposed to a consent agenda.”
The volunteers on the health and human services commission were tasked with studying where the funds should go and their recommendation should be followed, Mayor Jeff Serdy said.
“I think that we appoint the health and human services commission to study this. This would be the same as us overturning the decisions that planning and zoning and the library board make; that we put them there and we trust in them to come up with this,” Mayor Serdy said. “And taking the money from the Boys and Girls Club --- their big fundraiser has already been postponed. If that thing gets canceled again, they will have no fundraiser for the whole year and I think that would be a terrible blow for them because they rely on that so much.”
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia, Inc.. USA, since 1987.
Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
He also is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows
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