On November 14, the HHS Committee (Councilmembers Leventhal, Berliner, and Rice) will discuss funding nonprofits through grants vs. base budget. This could potentially address organizations that have received Council Grants funding for multiple years to deliver essential services. Prior to the worksession, Nonprofit Montgomery will send out information about base budget funding and link to the legislative packet. If this is a topic that interests you, consider attending the worksession.
It is likely that Bill 12116, proposing an increase of the county’s minimum wage to $15, will be back on the council calendar in early December. Please share your perspective on this legislation with Councilmembers. As the next packet is being prepared, information about how this will impact your organization and the clients you serve will help provide valuable background information to Councilmembers.
As a reminder, Nonprofit Montgomery has not taken a position on the minimum wage, but has proactively educated Councilmembers about the impact that minimum wage increases may have on nonprofit budgets and service delivery without a commensurate increase in funding to organizations delivering services. We have shared information about the City of Seattle’s experiences in creating a nonprofit mitigation fund when they increased the minimum wage to $15/hour, and have alerted Councilmembers and staff to a University of Washington study that is being released soon about how Seattle nonprofits were impacted by the wage increase. We will continue to monitor and educate with regards to this issue, but please share your own organizational perspective.