Jeff Bergosh Blog: Community Partners: What we Spend and What we Get

Guidelines

I am one member of a five person board. The opinions I express on this forum are mine only, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Escambia County Staff, Administrators, Employees, or anyone else associated with Escambia County Florida. I am interested in establishing this blog as a means of additional transparency to the public, outreach to the community, and information dissemination to all who choose to look. Feedback is welcome, but because public participation is equally encouraged, appropriate language and decorum is mandatory. Although this is not my campaign site for re-election--sometimes campaign related information will be discussed, therefore in an abundance of caution I add the following :

Friday, August 5, 2022

Community Partners: What we Spend and What we Get

Every taxpayer dollar that is spent in Escambia County is rightly scrutinized.

Funds are watched over by staff, our budget and finance office, the state, the County Commissioners, citizen taxpayers, and the media.

One area where dollars are expended and where there has been a good deal of taxpayer consternation and skepticism is in the area of our "community partners" expenditures. These allocations are made yearly to entities that are 501(c)3 non-profits and that also provide goods, services, and/or support to our citizens in addition to the services provided by the county.

Some of these entities (e.g. Gulf Coast Kids House) are given taxpayer monies via a state formula and are mandated. Others provide services to citizens that are helpful and beneficial to a thriving community. Others still provide services (e.g. Council on Aging, Health and Hope Clinic) that, if not provided by such a group, would be provided by some other area entity ----the cost(s) of which would result in higher outlays of taxpayer funds by Escambia County to cover Medicaid costs foisted on local counties based upon such claims being made.

Some entities request funds but are not awarded any money.

Other entities request money and are given small amounts, while others still request money and are given large amounts.

But all entities must provide metrics, quarterly, delineating the outputs and the benefits they are providing the community on a regular bases as a condition required for the taxpayer monies recieved.

The commissioners were recently provided the latest information on all of our community partners by the budget and finance office.

Upon reading through the list and looking at the outputs and numbers--it is readily apparent that with most of these entities we (the taxpayers and county) are receiving a very good return on the monies expended.!

At this time of year, right as we go into the process to finalize our budget, it is good to show everyone this list so that everyone can see the performance and the return on investment we are receiving from our community partners. See the complete list, below.