AGENDA #5c

MEMORANDUM

TO: Mayor and Town Council

FROM: Human Services Advisory Board

SUBJECT: 2000-2001 Funding Recommendation

DATE: April 10, 2000

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this memorandum is to present a recommendation for total funding for human services for fiscal year 2000-2001.

SUMMARY

For the past two years, the Human Services Advisory Board has presented a recommendation for funding human services to the Town Council as part of the budget process. This year the Human Services Advisory Board received 32 requests from local nonprofit human service agencies, totaling $286,109. For six weeks the Board will hold hearings for the agencies to present their proposals. The Board is scheduled to present recommendations to the Town Council on specific agency allocations in June.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The Human Services Advisory Board appreciates the Town support for human service agencies and believes that these programs benefit Chapel Hill residents. In the Needs Report presented this year to the Town Council, the Human Services Advisory Board identified as priorities services for high-risk youth, substance abuse treatment, parent and family support, and services for the elderly. The Board notes the importance of serving two rapidly growing groups: Hispanic/Latino people and the frail elderly population while not overlooking the needs of traditionally under-represented minorities.

The Board acknowledges the Town Manager's letter of February 17, 2000, delineating the budget forecast and understands the Town's difficult dilemma. With funding requests totaling $286,109, however, we feel that the agencies cannot be adequately served by not requesting an increase. The Board, therefore, recommends that the Town Council increase funding this year by 10%, bringing the total allocation to $196,020.

As in the past, the Human Services Advisory Board recommends that the Town Council consider a long-term goal of calculating the human service allocations using a formula based on local tax revenues. This could be implemented through incremental increases each year for a ten-year period. The Board requests that the Council again consider this recommendation.