TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Lucas County Commissioners came up with money Tuesday for local food pantries, which are expected to see bigger crowds with SNAP benefits in limbo.
It’s not as much money as one commissioner had hoped.
There was agreement that Lucas County could and should do something. That exact dollar figure for that something was in question.
Connecting Kids to Meals and the Islamic Food Bank are each getting $50,000 each from the county commissioners after a vote Tuesday morning. Commissioner Anita Lopez wanted the grand total going out to be one million dollars instead of $100,000.
“This is not something that I take lightly, spending taxpayers’ dollars, but before we go to the private sector and ask them to donate, they already pay taxes. They already pay income taxes, sales taxes, and property taxes. These are their dollars. So, for me, the million dollars is enough to put in our budget so it’s readily available,” said Lopez.
Lopez’s resolution for spending one million was rejected by commissioners Lisa Sobecki and Pete Gerken. Sobecki suggested the $100,000, and all three voted yes on that.
“I didn’t vote against kids, but not voting for a million dollars that doesn’t have a plan to find it. I didn’t do that. I’m not going to label this yet. That’s not going to happen. I’m going to be the commissioner that’s going to do the next right thing. And I think the right thing to do is follow the community plan that people invested time and money in over the last week,” said Gerken.
The lack of a plan was the issue for Gerken, while Lopez said the plan could be developed with money ready.
“Making these dollars available now cuts the bureaucracy, so when individuals do say we need more, our food pantries have run out,” said Lopez
For now, it’s $100,000 with the promise to revisit the amount if it’s needed.
“I’m going to support what I think makes sense. A million dollars without a plan. That doesn’t really solve the problem today. One hundred thousand dollars with a plan and with the support of everybody,” said Gerken.
A county spokeswoman says as of the beginning of this year, the cash balance in the reserve was about $42 million. Their policy is to keep at least 15% of the total general fund in the reserves, which is about $29 million.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-11-04 19:20:00
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