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The nearly 70 people who spoke out Thursday on Mecklenburg County's proposed budget represented a wide range of groups, including mental health services, the elderly and libraries.
But most in the crowd echoed sentiments voiced by Lynn Crutchfield, a former board member of the Alexander Youth Network, which serves children with serious emotional and behavioral problems.
“We can live with the cuts that are in the budget,” Crutchfield said, “but we don't want any further.”
And, she added, “We think everybody needs to step up and take part in the budget cuts.”
County Manager Harry Jones' proposed 2009-10 budget calls for deep cuts in services, including layoffs, at county departments and other agencies. Leaders are trying to cope with a nearly $78.1 million shortfall in the fiscal year that starts July 1.
The recommended cuts include more than $5.3 million from the county's Area Mental Health Department. Many at the hearing, including Crutchfield, said they worried about how more reductions in services could hurt those dealing with mental illness, substance abuse or developmental disabilities.
The annual budget hearing is traditionally one of the few chances for residents to publicly tell county commissioners how to spend money in the upcoming budget. Commissioners will vote on a spending plan June 16.
Noticeably absent from the hearing was anyone advocating that commissioners send more money to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, a stark contrast from some years when dozens of parents and students filled the government center chamber.
Jones has recommended a nearly $34 million cut for the school system. CMS asked for the same amount it received this year. School leaders say they've already made cuts throughout the district, and that losing more money would lead to layoffs of hundreds of teachers and other staff.
Still, many at the hearing said that while cuts are tough, they must be shared.
“None of us created this worldwide economic mess,” said Sheriff Chipp Bailey. “We're all in this together, and I believe we should all pull together and be affected proportionally.”
Representatives from several nonprofit agencies funded by the county addressed the commissioners on Thursday. The county has proposed $4.3 million to support 25 programs, about 8.5 percent less than this year. In addition, the county will send about $1.5 million to groups it has contractual agreements with, such as Spirit Square.
County staff also has recommended that two nonprofits consider merging, and that funding be phased out for three low-performing agencies.
Donna Lacey, executive director of Charlotte Volunteers in Medicine, asked commissioners not to cut funding to her agency, one of the three labeled as low-performing. Lacey said the organization's free clinic has made many improvements since it was last assessed by the county. She also touted the clinic's growth from two clients when it first opened to more than 700 currently.
The hearing lasted more than three hours, though it ended about 90 minutes sooner than county staff had predicted. Some speakers were straight and to the point. A few, like the group Homeless Helping Homeless, recited poetry. One of the group's members also drew a few laughs when she asked commissioners whether there was a secret bank account the county could use to help with the budget.
But others, like Phil Hunt, shared personal stories about how they've been helped by county programs. Hunt described how his life was in a “world of destruction” after his two young children were brutally murdered in 1985. He said he drew support from others and now is helping to give back through the Open Doors program, which receives some money through the county.
“Thank you,” he told commissioners, “for saving my life. Literally.”
April Bethea: 704-358-6013.
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AprilBethea
