Alachua County Commissioners debated at an informal meeting Tuesday how to best divvy up more than $1 million set aside for the Community Agency Partnership Program.
In a discussion that dipped into philosophy, the Commission agreed that allocated funds should go to organizations that will feed people and help children.
Commissioner Mike Byerly said that he supports funding programs that will satisfy day-to-day needs. He spoke of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how food, shelter and medical care were most important.
“If you’re hungry, you’re not going to want to learn,” he said.
Chairman Lee Pinkoson said he thinks it would be best to fund programs that care for children at an early age, like the Reichert House Youth Academy and Success By 6.
“If we don’t invest in the children, the situation will never, ever, ever get better,” he said.
Byerly said he’d support funding such organizations as long as short-term needs for residents were addressed. If he had to choose between the two, he said, he’d choose feeding families.
Another point of discussion was putting up signs in Alachua County lakes to make sure boaters are aware of the air boat curfew, especially citizens of other counties who boat in Alachua County.
The Commission is also considering putting the audio recording of informal meetings on the Commission website so members of the public will be able to hear what was discussed.
