Nonprofit Sign On Statement
***We stand with the nonprofit community in a stance against Question B.
Nonprofit Montgomery is the collective voice of the nonprofit community serving our diverse, beautiful, and vibrant County. We are an alliance of close to 200 organizations serving more than 500,000 residents. Montgomery County’s nonprofits work everyday to fill the gaps that so many of our neighbors find themselves in, by providing food and shelter to families in need, and supporting the mental/physical health and education/training needs of our community. During the coronavirus pandemic, these organizations have stepped up and stepped in to provide more services in new and dynamic ways. In the face of COVID-19, our community organizations have run towards the needs - expanding services, forging collaborations, and, yes, stretching budgets. We’re able to do this work because of the generosity of partners in the philanthropic community and our partners in government as well.
Montgomery County has stepped up in an enormous way during the current crisis, providing millions of dollars for emergency food support, rental assistance, mental health services, and more, on top of what it already has contracted out via grants each year. While no one knows what the future of this crisis may bring, we know that Montgomery County must be in the strongest fiscal position to continue providing services to our residents and supporting the work of the organizations standing in the gaps.
That is why we are so concerned about Question B, the artificial austerity question appearing on our ballots that would threaten the County’s fiscal future and, in turn, risk substantial damage to our ability to do vital work in partnership with the County government.
Question B would tie the County’s hands by removing the County Council’s ability—even with their unanimous vote required by current law—to increase revenue that might be collected via property taxes. This inability to be nimble would threaten our AAA bond rating and shrink the availability of already limited resources; removing a tool to address the fallout from a global pandemic and threatening the County’s ability to respond to future crises with targeted resources.
Each year Montgomery County leverages public dollars by partnering with the nonprofit community to provide critical services. Question B would tie the hands of the County and nonprofits, posing a real threat to resources and the ability of nonprofits to provide assistance to the half-million residents we serve.
Given the breadth and depth of the needs of Montgomery County residents, we are taking a position against Question B. Now is not the time to create new hurdles when our County is already hurting—now is the time to take steps towards a just recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and to ensure the future of our County.
Signed By:
CASA
Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming
Community Support Services, Inc.
Elite Soccer Youth Development Academy
Everyday Canvassing
EveryMind
Family Learning Solutions, Inc.
Identity
JCADA
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington
Jews United for Justice
Manna Food Center
Maryland Center on Economic Policy
Maryland Hunger Solutions
Montgomery Countryside Alliance
Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, Inc.
Montgomery County Food Council
Montgomery Housing Alliance
Nonprofit Montgomery
Nonprofit Village
Nu Consultant
Passion for Learning, Inc.
Patuxent River (MD) Chapter, The Links, Incorporated
Potomac Valley Section, National Council of Negro Women, Inc.
Progressive Maryland
The Montgomery County Renters Alliance, Inc.
The National Center for Children and Families
YMCA Youth & Family Services
Nonprofits, please join us by signing on here.