Several nonprofit groups pleaded with the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors for additional funding Monday night during the fiscal year 2026 budget public hearing, held at the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium.

The current proposed budget includes a 4.3 cent tax increase to support general fund operations. However, many budgetary requests are currently not being recommended for funding.

“We all are experiencing inflationary pressures on our operations,” said Bay Aging Chief Financial Officer Tinsley Goad. “And so, our request did call for a 3 percent increase. We certainly understand the pressures that the county is under, but we ask you to maintain that consideration until the budget is finalized.”

For its health operations, Bay Aging is requesting $16,701 from the county. According to Goad, Bay Aging provided services for over 4,000 Gloucester County residents last fiscal year through nearly 35,000 home-delivered meals, over 23,000 home care hours, emergency home repair, homeless intervention, operating the adult day care facility on Main Street and more.

Bay Aging is also requesting a 3 percent increase in its housing choice voucher program for a total of $25,669. “Last fiscal year, we administered 107 active vouchers for Gloucester County,” said Goad.

The next request for Bay Aging came from its public transportation program, Bay Transit.

“Last year, we were able to provide 20,639 rides with our microtransit,” said David Foles, transit director for Bay Transit. “Half of those are work-related. So, we’re getting your citizens to and from work. We are asking for a 3 percent increase to $135,088.”

Ken Hickman, finance director for Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck Behavioral Health, asked the board for $225,760, an increase of 10.8 percent.

“Total number of services that we provided to Gloucester County residents in FY24 were 60,688 services,” said Hickman. “Serving a total of 1,154 unduplicated clients.”

Hickman also mentioned that 32 percent of the agency’s employees reside in Gloucester.

Next up was the Gloucester-Mathews Humane Society.

“I’m not asking for an increase,” said GMHS board of directors member Jim Camp. “What we’re asking for is for a refunding. FY04 to FY23, this board funded us at a level of $97,000 a year. In FY24, without notification, that funding was cut by $17,370.

“What we’re asking for tonight is to go back to at least the $97,000 funding,” he said. “As it’s been stated all night tonight, the costs have gone up.”

According to Camp, medical expenses at GMHS have been on the rise for the past decade, particularly over the last two to three years. GMHS has also reduced its staff by three-and-a-half full-time positions in the last eight months “to cut our salaries as much as possible,” said Camp.

In the past year, GMHS has had an intake of 2,203 animals, 667 of those directly from Gloucester. The organization also altered 4,541 animals at its spay and neuter clinic, 510 of which were feral cats in an effort to reduce the feral cat colonies throughout the county.

“That’s a Gloucester problem,” said Camp. “But it’s become a Gloucester-Mathews Humane Society problem.”

Finally, Arlene Armentor, director of the Gloucester Mathews Care Clinic, spoke on behalf of her organization. The clinic’s request for FY26 amounted to a 16 percent increase of $10,000.

“Inflation has impacted everyone,” said Armentor, “and we do understand that there are more needs than there are funds available.”

One of the funding challenges GMCC is facing includes a 24 percent increase in patients over the past two years. The clinic’s blood draw service is also up by about 31 percent in only a year.

“Medicaid patients make up 47 percent of our practice,” said Armentor. “Yet our Medicaid revenue is only about 7 percent of our total revenue.”

Other big challenges facing the clinic right now is its declining health care workforce and the unknown future of Medicaid.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen at the federal or the state level with Medicaid,” said Armentor. “What we are prepared for is that if Medicaid is eliminated or reduced, we do anticipate seeing an increase in our uninsured patient numbers, and, of course, a decrease in our Medicaid revenue.”

Gloucester County residents also spoke up during the public hearing, most asking the board to make additional cuts in favor of not having a 4.3 cent tax increase.

“You’re faced with the same things that we’re faced with,” said Susan Austin of the York District. “When we don’t have the money to spend, we cut back. We’ve tightened our belts and we do without.”

Kathleen Jones, also of the York District, spoke out about the 3 percent cost of living adjustment being recommended for county employees in FY26.

“I have to live within my income,” said Jones. “And I think that you could probably do that too. I know that a 3 percent across the board increase for employees sounds great. And they’re great people. I’ve dealt with them, they really are. But sometimes you just can’t have that. And maybe this is one of those times you just can’t do that.”

The next budget work session will be held on Monday with potential sessions for the supervisors to discuss the budget tentatively scheduled for April 24 and 28.

The current goal is to have the board of supervisors adopt the FY26 budget on April 30.