Councilmember raises concern after food justice fund allocation is reduced

Councilwoman Gross used her member remarks on April 20 to press the administration and her colleagues about funding for the city's food justice initiatives, saying the council reduced the food justice fund from $500,000 to $250,000 in recent budget line-item votes.

"The original allocation that council voted on last year was $500,000. And in the line item votes, we reduced that to $250,000," Gross said, noting the council had seen substantive testimony over several years about neighborhood food needs and pointing to recent investments that supported gardens, compost deliveries and a halftime 'city farmer' position that works with Parks and Recreation.

Gross emphasized the community impact of small grants and city services, saying council-supported efforts had reached roughly 60 community gardens and helped connect tens of thousands of people to fresh food through a combination of materials, staff time and coordination.

Council records also show the council moved $55,692.60 of CDBG CARES Act funding to two food banks as part of a community development reallocation passed during the meeting. Gross said she looks forward to working with the administration to ensure continued investment across neighborhood food programs.

The council approved the related amended ARPA reappropriation and other budget items by roll call during the meeting; Gross’s remarks were delivered as part of the motions and member comments segment. No immediate reversal of the line-item decision was recorded on the floor during this session.