Nonprofits in Safety Harbor are preparing for the possibility of losing city funding. Commissioners are considering more than $500,000 in potential immediate cuts following the passage of Amendment 3. The reductions could affect holiday parades and fireworks shows, as well as grants to local nonprofits that provide services to residents.
Among the groups facing uncertainty is the Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center. The center runs a food pantry, provides utility assistance and offers other resources for families in need. Janet Hooper, with the center, said the organization is already working out how quickly it could find other funding if city support shrinks. “It’s going to be how fast can we tap dance,” Hooper said.
Hooper is not asking for the funding to be eliminated outright. She wants city leaders to consider a tiered approach that would give nonprofits more time to find other money. “My argument would be, can you do a tiered thing where you only do partial, so that we have a chance to try and find ways to get additional funding so we can cover some of it so it’s not just cut off,” Hooper said.
Residents and business owners are already talking about ways to fill the gap. Thomas Bassano, owner of Bassano Cheesecake, said the city should look at alternatives before cutting services. “You don’t have to immediately make the cuts,” Bassano said. “We can look for answers outside of just coming in and chopping it out.”
Other organizations are preparing to increase fundraising. For more on the story, see the ABC Action News report.
Originally reported by ABC Action News
