Mar 7, 2024 By Mike Jones 3 min read

Larry Maggi is asking his fellow Washington County commissioners to “restore” a $500,000 grant that was supposedly earmarked for the Washington City Mission before it was pulled at the last minute.

Maggi renewed the request during Wednesday’s board workshop meeting three weeks after the commissioners unanimously approved a list of 50 projects to receive $8.7 million in Local Share Account casino gambling revenue, but did not include the City Mission.

An initial list dated Jan. 30 showed that the LSA committee intended to recommend 51 projects – including City Mission’s application for a $500,000 grant to help build its new 50-bed women’s shelter – but it was excluded for unknown reasons when the group voted Feb. 6. That set off a firestorm of complaints from the public and City Mission officials, who question why the change was made before the commissioners approved the final list during their Feb. 15 meeting.

“We know the story. They had 51 projects and we know what happened,” Maggi said during Wednesday’s board workshop meeting.

He asked Commission Chairman Nick Sherman whether the board could place on the agenda at today’s 2 p.m. meeting a new motion to provide the City Mission with an LSA grant. Sherman did not agree to altering the agenda, but seemed open to kicking the issue back to the LSA committee to decide whether to change its recommendation on that particular grant.

“I would support giving it back to the (LSA) board and having them make a decision,” Sherman said.

There is still $500,000 in unused LSA grant money available to distribute since the total allocation from the state Department of Community and Economic Development reached $9.2 million for Washington County this year.

Sherman said he spoke recently to state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll, about the subject, but he did not elaborate on what was discussed. Bartolotta, who is a member of the LSA committee and approved the recommended list of projects, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment Wednesday.

Jeff Kotula, who is president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency and serves as the LSA committee chair, said Wednesday afternoon that he has not heard from the commissioners about asking his board to revisit the funding plan.

After Wednesday’s workshop meeting, Maggi said he was unsure where the issue stood and whether the commissioners would formally ask the LSA committee to reconvene.

“Did he say it’s just up to the LSA? Do they have to do it on their own? Are we asking? I don’t know what that means,” Maggi said of Sherman’s response to his request.

Maggi now plans to make his own motion during today’s meeting asking the commissioners to “restore” the $500,000 grant to City Mission. That would require a second from either Sherman or Commissioner Janis Electra, both of whom have previously said they support the approved list that the LSA committee recommended to them.

While the county commissioners typically approve the LSA’s committee’s recommended list of projects, they have unilateral power to make the final decision. But time is running out for changes to be made since the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington, which oversees the LSA fund, must send the list of projects to the DCED for final approval by the end of the month.