More discretion is warranted in allocating grants-in-aid

In our desire to be fair and objective when determining allocation of resources in government, we sometimes sacrifice compassion and common sense.

Such is the case with Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s insistence that the recommendations of the Grants-In-Aid Advisory Commission, based on a complex scoring system, be the sole method of determining the ultimate worth of a service provider’s proposal.

The Honolulu City Council’s recent adoption of Resolution 13-173, amended to expand the number of nonprofit agencies eligible for funding, maintained the integrity of the process while taking the grant awards beyond a rigid calculation of points.

In 2010, voters approved a charter amendment to direct a half of 1 percent of property taxes in grants to assist these organizations with their missions. These grants were meant to provide a safety net for nonprofits during even the most difficult of times. The amendment established an advisory commission appointed by the mayor, but stipulated that the commission’s recommendations are subject to Council approval.

On Oct. 9, the City Council amended the commission’s recommendations by adding a number of agencies that had ranked below the cutoff score. Many of the organizations made eligible for funding had previously been excluded by slim margins, one as close as a fraction of a single percentage point.

The Council reduced the funding amounts recommended by the commission and widened the safety net. The Council’s action ensures that a greater number of non-profit organizations will be able to address the needs of the people they were established to serve.

In testimony before the Council, several organizations originally recommended for funding agreed with the Council’s changes, despite the fact that those changes would reduce their own funding amounts.

Over the past few years, many of these service and charitable organizations have seen declining federal funding. With the current financial crisis in Washington, D.C., restoration of those funds to pre-recession levels appears unlikely. As a result, Council members are witnessing firsthand the impact these shortfalls are having on the homeless, at-risk youth, victims of domestic violence, the elderly and the poor.

A healthy society is measured as much by its public infrastructure as its social infrastructure — how it cares for its underserved populations. Through the grants-in-aid process, the Council is exercising its authority to increase support for those in need. This need has been exacerbated by the mayor’s decision to withhold an additional $8 million in grants in the city budget adopted by the Council in June of this year.

Although changes to the recommendations were made, the Council acknowledges and appreciates the hard work put forth by the commission. In its initial year, the Council remains supportive of the program and believes it will ultimately prove to be a fair and reliable mechanism to support the many non-governmental organizations that provide much-needed aid and assistance to the underserved in our communities.