Six organizations will see a funding boost in the upcoming fiscal year as Oktibbeha County increases its outside contributions by $33,900 starting Oct. 1.
The county’s approved budget includes $1.28 million in funds for external entities, documents provided by the administration show.
Six groups — the Boys and Girls Club, Brickfire Project, countywide library system, Starkville’s Mayor’s Youth Council, Oktibbeha County Humane Society and Starkville Area Arts Council — will receive additional cash for their operations compared to current allocations.
The library system, B&G Club and Humane Society are slated to receive $7,500 increases, as supervisors will donate $177,900, $14,000 and $17,500 respectively to the organizations. The board also increased SAAC’s yearly contribution from $3,000 to $5,000, while new line items were created for the MYC ($5,000) and Brickfire Project ($5,000).
District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said he was pleased when his fellow board members unanimously approved the increases as part of the county’s overall budget. An investment in each organization, he said, is an investment in the people of Oktibbeha County and its overall quality of life.
“If (the Boys and Girls Club) didn’t have funding, then kids would be involved in other things that might not be as positive,” Trainer said. “The Humane Society wanted another $70,000, and I think we should have given them every penny of it. We’re limited in how much we can help out, but we try to fund these groups in chunks. I really think the board needs to try to do as much as we can and try to spread it around to as many groups that are trying to do something worthwhile. If we don’t (support outside organizations), then the county and our people will suffer.”
A state grant funding OCH Regional Medical Center ambulance services is expected to decrease $600 in the upcoming fiscal year, documents show.
Other outside contributions — including allocations to the Heritage Museum ($5,000), Oktibbeha-Starkville Emergency Response Volunteer Services ($6,000), Mississippi Horse Park ($50,000) and Red Cross ($6,000) — will remain at their current fiscal year amounts.
Supervisors will also spend $350,000 of combined funds from Starkville and county entities for Golden Triangle Development LINK’s economic development services, while also pledging $50,000 to the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District for other economic development services.
While the county’s contributions are trending higher, documents released by Starkville show aldermen trimmed their external allotments by $9,723 compared to the current fiscal year.
In all, the city will fund $414,000 in combined contributions. The total is down from the current $1.35 million in combined allocations because a $940,400 line item for the Starkville Park Commission — its cut of 2 percent food and beverage tax revenues — was removed after the city’s takeover of the system.
Both the city and county approved 3 percent cost-of-living raises for its full-time employees.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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