Residents urge more event and neighborhood‑leader funding as property tax hikes worry homeowners

Mary Joyce, executive director of Afest Educates, asked commissioners to increase the county's special‑events allocation to $500,000 or add a one‑cent hotel‑motel tax to sustain downtown arts and races, saying the Afest festival has “an overall economic impact of close to a million dollars.” She told the commission that recent rises in electrical and police costs threaten event sustainability and corporate sponsorships are shrinking.

Neighborhood leaders and residents followed with pleas to preserve local outreach programs. Leticia Moreno, introduced through a translator, described neighborhood leaders as a source of “guidance, trust and stability” for Spanish‑speaking families who otherwise struggle to access services. Alen Loza, a Spanish‑speaking neighborhood leader, said she is the only Spanish‑language leader covering 16 zones and described the program as a lifeline that connects families to Medicaid, SNAP and school services.

Speakers highlighted the program's concrete work: diaper and food delivery, information navigation, and summer youth programming. Jean Luciani and Marquia Rucker recounted daily caseloads and examples of families helped, urging the commission to maintain or expand funding rather than cut services that community members rely on.

At the same hearing, homeowners raised alarm about rising property taxes. Shannon Bushway described paying large increases that forced her to sell a home three years ago and said “50% of my income goes to pay my mortgage, my taxes, and my homeowners insurance.” Johanna Gardner said a Habitat homeowner friend pays more than $4,000 a year in property tax and warned that continued hikes will push middle‑income and single‑income households out of the county.

Commissioners did not make a final budget decision at the hearing; staff reminded the public the commission will take final budget action on June 9 and encouraged anyone with scheduling conflicts to attend an additional June 4 public hearing. The manager's office said proposed amendment language (salary adjustments, fuel, magistrate court judge funding, tax commissioner request, code enforcement increment, and a public defender investigative position) will be circulated before Thursday's work session so the public can review changes ahead of next week's vote.

What happens next: The commission will consider the FY27 budget amendments at a work session and is scheduled to vote on final budget adoption on June 9.