Significant slashes to funds for non-profits in Pueblo 2025 Proposed Budget
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - In the Steel City, several organizations are preparing to make a public stand against the city's proposed 2025 budget.
Right now, the proposal would cut funding for local non-profits by more than $1.2m next year.
Mayor Graham provided KRDO13 with the statement below.
"This year City Council asked me as Mayor to make budget cuts and upon further review and consideration of the sales tax reports each month during 2023, I agreed with the necessity to make cuts. Since taking office, I hired a nonprofit coordinator to do a deep dive into the requests from non-departmental and nonprofit organizations, which then helped guide my 2025 proposed budget before City Council. We held multiple work sessions before City Council and for the public to attend and learn more about the request process for nonprofits, hear about the City’s loss in revenue due to sales tax decreasing in 2024 and look at the projects ahead for 2025.
While funding nonprofits less than in previous years, I made the decision to return to 2019 or pre-pandemic numbers to give a baseline of how to fund appropriately. I have proposed $5,535,124 in the 2025 budget for City Council’s consideration for nonprofit funding in the overall proposed $125,737,988 budget. We greatly value our nonprofit partners, but in the wake of budget cuts the City is making less contributions across the board to ensure essential City services are still delivered and excellent care for our citizens with our everyday obligations as municipal government are still upheld."
