Washington’s 2017-2018 fiscal year budget allocates $79,490 in direct and in-kind contributions to outside agencies and some economic-development entities.

For the most part, the City Council decided to reduce funding levels for the new fiscal year, which starts July 1, by 20 percent when compared to current funding levels.

The largest direct contribution — $12,960 — goes to Purpose of God Annex Outreach Center, which provides after-school services and summer programs for children and Project New Hope, a program that helps people with criminal pasts and others turn their lives around and find employment. The Beaufort County Boys & Girls Club, an affiliate of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plains, received $10,368, followed by Open Door Community Center (a new agency being funded for the first time), $8,000; Cornerstone Community Learning Center, $6,480; Zion Shelter and Kitchen, $6,120; Wright Flight, $2,268; The Blind Center, $809.60; Eagle’s Wings food pantry, $648.

In-kind contributions (rent-related) include $24,024 to Sound Rivers, $3,528 to Pamlico Pals/Horizon, $3,024 to the local Special Olympics program and $1,260 to the Beaufort County Police Activities League.

Ann-Marie Montague, executive director of Eagle’s Wings, appreciates the city’s allocation to the food pantry, but she wishes the city would contribute more.

“They’ve always been a small percentage of our overall operating budget. However, what goes along with the financial part is the support, the psychological support the city would offer to the people who live in the city of Washington by supporting us a little stronger than they do,” Montague said. “It’s nice to be able to invest money in buildings, parks and recreational facilities and all of that, but if you have people starving, those other things just don’t matter. They’re the fluff. I’m talking about basic food for people.”

Montague believes some City Council members don’t “understand the depth of the problems of that we see all the time here.” She said that lack of understanding concerns her. “We have a moral responsibility to take care of each other,” Montague said.

Economic-development organizations also benefit from city dollars in the upcoming budget.

The upcoming budget appropriates $40,176 to the Washington Harbor District Alliance, $12,960 to the North Carolina Estuarium, $10,368 to Arts of the Pamlico, $6,750 to the Highway 17 Association and $972 to the Washington Christmas parade (organized by Washington Kiwanis). During one of its budget meetings this spring, the council put the Highway 17 Association allocation at $7,500, but that amount was reduced to $6,750 when the upcoming budget was adopted last week.

The 2017-2018 budget allocates funds to help operate and maintain the Washington Civic Center. Those funds are called for in a new lease agreement between the city and the Washington Tourism Development Authority for its use of the Civic Center.

The current one-year lease expires June 30. The new lease agreement is for one year and sets the city’s subsidy to operate the Civic Center at $35,000. The new budget allocates $15,000 for maintenance activities.

City officials consider the Civic Center one of its economic-development entities.

At an April meeting, the council instructed City Manager Bobby Roberson to notify the outside agencies and economic-development groups by letter that the city will re-evaluate its appropriations for them in the 2018-2019 budget. In recent years, the city has told the organizations their funding could be reduced, if not eliminated, as the council put together the city’s budgets during those years.