But the increased allocation will not mean the county will have to increase property taxes any more than the 1-mill increase that is proposed and has been sent out in TRIM notices this week, county officials said.
At a budget workshop on Tuesday afternoon, the commission, after listening to officials from the agencies give presentations explaining the good the programs were doing for the community, approved of spending $937,658 in fiscal year 2015.
Last fiscal year, the total allocation last year was $775,658.
The budget is not final until public hearings are held in September.
St. Andrew Community Medical Center, Inc., is in line for the largest increase. At $180,000, it would be a $130,000 hike from last year’s allocation.
Commissioner Bill Dozier said he didn’t have a problem with funding an additional $130,000 for the St. Andrew Community Medical Center, which is a volunteer and donor supported medical clinic.
“It’s a significant part of giving people another avenue not to go to the emergency room, giving them another choice,” he said.
The board also approved two new funding requests, one for
The commission did deny a $325,000 funding request from Chemical Additions Recovery Effort Inc. to fund a four-bed male residential facility that was open but had to close as a result of cutbacks in state funding and a state mandate that the organization form a managing entity, which it is having to pay, said Paul Bohac, president of the organization.
That program had been helping people with alcohol and drug addiction issues get on their feet after they have gone through detox, Bohac said.
During the meeting, commissioner Mike Thomas questioned why the agency was asking for such a hefty increase in the county’s contribution.
“It may take a year before we get it straightened out, but that is a pretty significant difference in money,” Thomas said.
After the meeting, Bohac said the request should have been $254,083 instead of $325,000.
“If you don’t have a residential placement for a chemically addicted individual, then any kind of contact between the client, who is currently receiving services, and the family, is gone,” he said.
The Bay County Commission tentatively approved budgeting:
-$48,727 for the Bay
-$9,000 for the Bay Defense
-$109,740 for the Bay Economic Development
-$4,060 for Chemical Additions Recovery Effort, Inc.
-$7,380 for the Council on Aging transportation and mental health programs
-$98,500 for the Council on Aging matching funds
-$27,000 for the Florida Film Office Inc, $2,000 more than last fiscal year.
-$321,000 for
-$8,000 for Second Chance
-$9,251 for St. Andrew Bay Center
-$25,000 for Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida, $10,000 more than last year
-$180,000 for St. Andrew Community Medical Center, Inc., $130,000 more than last year
*All amounts are the same as last year except where noted