6 agencies may get a piece of $80K in funding from city of Apache Junction

By Richard Dyer
Mail | Twitter: @RHDyer

An Apache Junction commission tasked with interviewing nonprofit agencies seeking a piece of $80,000 in health and human service funding has approved a recommendation for the City Council to consider.

“Thanks to all the nonprofits, all the work that’s being done. I think it was — as usual — tough to cut. We had $131,260 of requests and we can only give out $80,000, so cuts had to be made — $51,260 out of it,” Chairperson Jeffrey P. Mitchell said at the Apache Junction Health and Human Services Commission’s April 24 meeting. “Love to give everybody exactly what they asked for but, you know, here we are with six agencies again.”

The commission later in the meeting voted unanimously to recommend that the Apache Junction City Council divvy up the funds as follows:

• AJ Community Development Corp., $5,010;
• Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley, $5,674;
• Genesis Project, $20,000;
• Horizon Health & Wellness, $7,060;
• Otherside Ministries, $7,256; and
• Superstition Food Bank, $35,000.

The health and human services commission will make its recommendation at the council’s May 15 work session, which begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers, 300 E. Superstition Blvd.

“You will present the options to council at that meeting. They will not be approving their budget until June at which point — if they have any changes — they’ll make it,” City Clerk Jennifer Pena said to the commission.

“But historically they’ve never made changes to your recommendation. And then the contracts will become effective July 1. So after they approve the budget we will draft up the contracts, list the services within the contract and the dollar amounts,” she said.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: 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. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.