Though the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council was spared the budgetary scalpel at a meeting of the Santa Cruz City Council Tuesday, other organizations throughout the city were not as fortunate. The city voted to keep the CVC’s funding at the same level as last year, and decided the same for the County Cultural Council, but 52 other nonprofits face an across-the-board 25 percent cut in municipal funding. The cuts saved the city a total of $300,000.
Though the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council was spared the budgetary scalpel at a meeting of the Santa Cruz City Council Tuesday, other organizations throughout the city were not as fortunate. The city voted to keep the CVC’s funding at the same level as last year, and decided the same for the County Cultural Council, but 52 other nonprofits face an across-the-board 25 percent cut in municipal funding. The cuts saved the city a total of $300,000.
Many of these groups, which offer vital health and human services, also took a hit from the county. Forced to cut $25 million from its budget, Santa Cruz County reduced funding for nonprofits by 20 percent.
The first to suffer from these cuts are the smaller nonprofits, which will no longer be able to afford basic administrative costs. Many of these may be forced to consolidate. At the same time, municipal and county officials should take a closer look at the various organizations that they help to fund to determine where their money can be used most effectively.
