The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors plans to work with about $700,000 less for the next fiscal year. Fiscal Services Director Steve Bolster says this number comes from the gap between the county’s anticipated revenue from taxes and the costs that local agencies and nonprofits want to spend. Meredith Downey, Director of Rockbridge Area Department of Social Services, says her caseload has dropped by about 900 in the past year because of SNAPET, (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment Training), a combined food assistance and employment training program. Only 22 agencies in Virginia run SNAPET, which Downey now operates entirely through volunteers. Still strapped for cash after the recent recession, some area nonprofits fear having to spread resources even more thinly to meet the growing needs of the community.
[wpaudio url=”http://journalism.wlu.edu/audio/CUMMbudget29 Audio.mp3″ text=”Alex Cummings finds out how budget cuts affect local non-profits.”]
