Athens-Clarke County commissioners are expected to discuss whether to increase the county’s contribution to the Neighborhood Leaders Program at a meeting on Tuesday.
Administered by Family Connection – Communities in Schools, the program employs 16 neighborhood leaders, one in each of the county’s elementary school zones, to help residents obtain services like help buying food, health care, and care for the aging.
The program is funded in large part by money from the ACC government, to the tune of over $5 million since 2019. In the most recent budget, ACC’s contribution came to just over $1.1 million. The program also receives funding from a variety of grants and private donors.
The program is asking local lawmakers for an additional $112,000 to provide a 4% salary increase for its neighborhood leaders, a new position for an assistant to the program’s director, and to cover inflation for its costs.
County staff, however, recommend that commissioners only approve some $38,000 in additional money for the program to cover the 4% pay hike for neighborhood leaders. Commissioners still have the option to approve the full amount.
Commissioners will likely discuss the issue at their agenda-setting meeting on Tuesday, with a vote on the new funding expected in early September.
