Rockland Lawmakers OK Funding for Nonprofits that Serve Residents

The Rockland County Legislature has approved funding for nonprofit organizations that provide services to local residents.

The list of their work covers everything from help for the visually impaired, senior citizens and homeless animals to programs for people with developmental disabilities, local history education and cultural enrichment through the arts.

“This action by the County Legislature paves the way for what I hope will be a smoother process for funding the agencies that were appropriated funds in the 2016 budget,” Legislature Chairman Alden H. Wolfe (D-Montebello) said in a prepared statement.

The Legislature has approved two resolutions, with the first funding certain nonprofits pursuant to County Law 224, which allows appropriations for certain public benefit services. Among others, the agencies funded include the Legal Aid Society, which provides defense attorneys to people who are indigent; the Hi Tor Animal Care Center, serving abandoned and homeless animals; and Keep Rockland Beautiful, which keeps the county’s roadsides and waterways free from litter and conducts environmental education.

The second approved resolution paves the way for the County Executive’s approval of contracts in excess of $100,000 for agencies that help feed Rockland’s hungry, including Catholic Community Services and Meals on Wheels; assist its neighbors with mental health issues, including the Mental Health Association of Rockland, Loeb House, Camp Venture and Jawonio; and provide vital services to Rockland’s senior citizens, including Community Health Aide Services, A&T Health Care and Home Aides of Rockland.

Under the County Charter, which sets out the rules for how Rockland County government must function, contracts over $100,000 must be approved by the County Legislature prior to signing by the County Executive.

By approving both resolutions, “the County Legislature has fulfilled its part of the process and paved the way for these agencies to receive funding,” Wolfe said.

The 2016 budget provides for $4.1 million in funding for nonprofit organizations, exclusive of state and federal funds for which the county serves as a conduit.