The Manhattan City Commission heard funding requests Tuesday from outside agencies during the third 2017 City Budget work session.
The Social Services Advisory Board asked for $417,688 in 2017 funding, an increase of 8.5% over 2016.
John Ball, the chair of the advisory board, said folks don’t easily see the impact of poverty in Manhattan in large part due to the services facilitated by the board.
“By having a good social service network, probably the key thing is it keeps pressure off of law enforcement,” he said.
The Special Alcohol Fund Advisory Committee presented its 2017 budget recommendation Tuesday. The fund is generated by a state imposed tax on alcohol sales and is used to fight drug and alcohol abuse.
Vice Chair, Matt Yates said the Committee received just over $766,000 in total funding requests from agencies such as Friends of Recovery Association, but he recommended the Commission approve just under $600,000 in funding for 2017.
“Wed had to make some calls about the prioritization of these funds for each of the groups, which led to a lot of the tough calls we had to make,” Yates said.
The Manhattan Public Library, Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency (aTa), Manhattan Arts Center, Aggieville Business District, Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), and Downtown Manhattan, Inc. also presented requests for 2017 funding.
In total, the proposed 2017 Manhattan City Budget is projected to increase by 7% over 2016. The proposed 2017 mill levy is 1.73 mills over 2016’s rate.
The Commission will meet on July 12 for the fourth budget work session.
