Commissioners make cuts to nonprofits, with potential for more funding down the road

The Bannock County Commission on Thursday in Pocatello. | Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com POCATELLO — Bannock County commissioners are moving forward with a budget that significantly cuts the county’s charitable contributions to local nonprofit agencies. Commissioners Jeff Hough, Ernie Moser and Ken Bullock addressed county residents who have expressed their opposition to the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 at their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday morning. While the charitable contribution cuts are still in the budget, the commissioners said that they have been and still are looking for ways to restore that funding. “We don’t have a solution today, but we have a path forward. … I think we can find a way to do some things a little bit different and correct the wrong, but you’re going to have to be patient with us while we work through that, because sometimes we have to move at the speed of government, which isn’t as fast as we’d like,” said Hough, chairman of the board of commissioners. RELATED | Bannock commissioners criticized for seeking pay raise amid non-profit cuts Bannock County provided EastIdahoNews.com with information showing that seven agencies will see contribution cuts, and one will see its contributions cut entirely. Aid For Friends will see all of its $30,000 charitable contribution cut. Karl Pettit, the director of the nonprofit Valley Mission, and Eunice Mommens, a member of its board of directors, were present for the meeting. Although the nonprofit has never received funding from the county, they told EastIdahoNews.com that the cut to Aid For Friends would also affect Valley Mission. “That (cut) affects the people that we get to serve in the county and the community. … Together, we get to serve the county, and so … (it’s) a pretty substantial hit,” Pettit said. In an interview on Aug. 20, Michele Poletti, executive director of Aid For Friends, said the emergency shelter would have to reduce the amount of people it could shelter at any given time if they saw their contribution cut. “When their budget goes down, we’re affected because they can’t respond in many ways that they did respond when they had that money,” Mommens said. “I think that’s a big way that that affects us.” One of the main criticisms from people who spoke at Tuesday’s public hearing was that the commissioners would see raises, going from $82,934 in FY25 to $95,000 in FY26. This is an increase of approximately $12,000 for each commissioner. In his comments, Moser addressed this criticism, explaining that the funds for their raises came through not hiring a new chief of staff after the last one retired. RELATED | Commissioners propose charitable contribution cuts, affecting homeless shelter, historical society and more Moser also responded to criticisms about the commissioner’s job performance. “We work 24/7, we’re not an eight to five position,” Moser said. “Between the three of us, we’re on 27 different boards or work with agencies, and if you go into Idaho State law, there’s more than 500 references to the powers and the duties of a county commissioner.” Bullock went into detail about the many different mandates they must uphold as county commissioners. Some of the mandates he listed was providing law enforcement to county residents, operating the judicial and juvenile justice system, manage close to 500 miles of road and ensure the well-being of around 400 employees. “It is not as simple as somebody looking at one budget hearing on July 28 and saying, ‘we know everything that went into the budgeting process,’” Bullock said. Hough and Bullock addressed the comments they made in that budget meeting, where they expressed their belief that most of the people served by Aid For Friends were transients. All three commissioners praised Aid For Friends for meeting with each of them personally and correcting that belief. “I, like Commissioner Bullock, apologize for my narrow view and some of the incorrect information I had, but I very much appreciated visiting with the nonprofits, and I share the same sentiment that Commissioner Bullock does,” Hough said. Hough said that it would take some time for the commissioners to have more information about how they could potentially find replacement funding for nonprofits that saw cuts. It’s not clear if the commissioners think they can find funding to replace all of the cuts or just a portion. “We’re finding a way to solve the issue with the nonprofit funding. Just give us a week or two, and we’ll have that taken care of,” Hough said.The post Commissioners make cuts to nonprofits, with potential for more funding down the road appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com