County nonprofits received a glimpse of what their checks from the government might be next fiscal year during Tuesday’s county commissioners’ budget work session.
County Administrator David Weiskopf and an internal group drafted recommendations for fiscal 2025 nonprofit funding. These include the following: agencies that received a grant in fiscal 2024 will receive the same amount for fiscal 2025; new grant applicants approved will receive $2,500 for fiscal 2025 (not 10% of their request); agencies that are entering their second year will receive their 2024 amount plus $2,500; agencies that submitted more than one funding request will only have one request considered; and new agencies that did not earn a passing score of 60 out of 100 will not receive a fiscal 2025 grant.
A total of 50 organizations were recommended to receive a share of $1.06 million, up from $1.02 million in fiscal 2024, but down from a total request of $2.7 million.
Among those recommended to receive substantial funds include Southern Maryland Center for Family Advocacy ($280,000), Center for Life Enrichment ($150,000) and Three Oaks Center and ARC of Southern Maryland ($130,000 each).
It was recommended that six organizations will receive no funding, including Sleep in Heavenly Peace and the St. Mary’s Arts Council, both for insufficient scoring.
“I think all nonprofits should be aware that over this next year we’re going to come up with some new criteria on how to meet their needs,” Commissioner Eric (R) Colvin said.
The money for the nonprofits will be paid out of the county’s fund balance.
Projects selected for state funding
There are 17 capital projects that are slated to receive several million dollars.
These include $4.3 million to the Maryland Environmental Service for a wastewater treatment plant upgrade at Point Lookout State Park and $850,000 to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for a causeway trail and marina building replacement, also at Point Lookout.
“There’s a lot of money going down there,” Chief Financial Officer Jeannett Cudmore said.
A total of $2.3 million is headed to St. Mary’s College of Maryland for campus-wide infrastructure improvements and renovations to Montgomery Hall, while $2 million is earmarked to the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission for infrastructure improvements. Both are state operated.
There are two school projects on the books as well — construction at Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary School for $3.6 million and $50,000 toward the Aging Schools Program.
Small print indicates that final allocation of fiscal 2025 school construction funding will be made sometime in May, which Cudmore said “makes it a little challenging.”
A new county project is $50,000 for solar panels at Dorsey Park, while $722,000 for a major renovation project at Chopticon High School was bumped out a year to fiscal 2026, which would increase the price tag that year by about $3 million for a total of more than $70 million of state and local money.
“This Chopticon project has always been a big driver for us,” Commissioner Mike Hewitt (R) said. “Is this still on track to fall when we think it’s going to fall?”
“It is on track and design is well underway,” Kim Howe said, board of education director of capital planning, adding it is a “complex project and one of the largest in the school system we’ve ever done.”
The commissioners will vote on the county’s overall budget on May 21.
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