SEQUIM — After setting a cap in June for Sequim’s Municipal Funding Program for next year, city council members agreed to a total for just under half of requests made.
A majority of council members agreed in a “thumbs up” vote during an Aug. 11 work session, with Mayor Brandon Janisse excused, to $207,700 in contracts, or 1.5 percent of the city’s $14 million anticipated general fund.
City staff reported that eight applicants made $409,616 in requests classified in two areas: broad public benefit (six applicants) and human services (two applicants).
City Attorney Kristina Nelson-Gross said the contract decisions won’t be final until the council passes the 2026 budget in November. Council members said it was difficult to choose funding amounts and their priorities, including health and human services, housing, children and seniors. Council member Dan Butler said he considered how impacts from federal and state cuts could possibly be backfilled by the council.
Council members agreed to tentative contracts with the following agencies:
• Sequim Health and Housing Collaborative (SHHC) for $120,000 (of a $151,250 request) each year for two years to expand access to shelter options while creating pathways to housing, increase access to basic needs like food and healthcare, and expand outreach services and establish a dedicated service hub.
• Olympic Peninsula YMCA for $28,750 (of a $42,500 request) for one year to continue the YMCA Youth & Family Resource Navigator (YFRN) within the Sequim School District to help students and families with housing, food and financial insecurity to access basic community resources while building connections with the school district and community agencies.
Staff said funds for the program this year came from the city’s Rainy Day Fund.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula for $28,750 (of a $30,000 request) for one year to help children gain homework help and caring adult support, help children build character, leadership and serve their community, and gain skills to lead healthy lifestyles and build lifelong nutrition, fitness and social-emotional well-being.
• Sequim Farmers and Artisans Market for $10,000 (of $47,900) for two years to grow food access via SNAP redemptions, host weekly free cultural and educational market events, and support vendors with consistent sales opportunities.
• Economic Development Council for $10,000 (of $35,000) for one year to purchase APEX Accelerator Procurement services, work on business retention and expansion, startup support, marketing, recruitment, export assistance, manufacturing support and no-cost business advising and training, and connecting college and high school students to business owners through career and technical education (CTE) and college programs.
• Shipley Center for $10,000 (of $15,000) for one year to provide physical and mental health improvements among seniors and the community at large, offer low-cost recreational activities and low-cost educational classes and seminars.
Not funded
Council members did not agree to contract funds with radio station KSQM for $54,500 for two years each to help upgrade a transmitter to high definition, purchase and install new antennas, and upgrade tower internet and network infrastructure.
They also did not approve a two-year contract for $33,466 with Olympic Theater Arts to engage community involvement in the production of theater, grant access to the arts for all income levels, and to decrease reliance on private contributions.
During discussions, most council members opted not to include the two agencies as they wanted to prioritize health and human services and housing.
“We’re saying what we can fund, not saying these other things are not important,” said council member Vicki Lowe to fellow council member Harmony Rutter while emphasizing how hard the decision was to choose funding.
“I’d love to give OTA money, but I don’t think this is appropriate,” she said.
“(With) KSQM, I’m hoping they can find it elsewhere. Hope they can understand why I chose the more human things.”
Council member Kelly Burger said he didn’t include the Sequim Health and Housing Collaborative in his list of funding because he felt its application needed more information about how funds were to be used.
Deputy Mayor Rachel Anderson said she hoped they will be more clear in their next report.
The SHHC formed in 2018 after a Human Services Summit to better address community needs. Agency leaders signed a three-year, $75,000-per-year contract with the city that year, and six local nonprofits continue to meet and assist the city in responding to substance use disorder, homelessness, mental illness and food insecurity in the community, according to past applications.
“When I read the report, I see all the lives that were touched,” Lowe said.
Cap
Council members agreed in June to the Municipal Funding cap after staff showed a report from 2015 to 2025 that the program grew 220 percent, from $80,000 to $255,600 a year.
Executive Assistant Merrin Packer said then that comparable cities budget 1 percent to 1.5 percent of their general funds. For this year’s city budget, it will be $220,600, or 1.2 percent of the city’s general fund budget.
Hartman said in June she didn’t want to go below 1.5 percent of the general fund due to pressures being put on agencies due to cuts.
Sequim’s Municipal Funding Program addresses community needs and public interests by awarding funds through an application process for human services for the poor and infirm, economic development for disadvantaged communities or neglected areas, minor financial relief to small businesses during a declared emergency, and recreational opportunities with broad public appeal, city documents stated.
Packer said each year, applicants can request a one-time lump sum under $10,000 for reimbursement, or a one-year or two-year contract. Agencies must reapply unless they are in year one of a two-year contract.
For more information about Municipal Funding in the City of Sequim, visit sequimwa.gov.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
