Stanford City Meeting – Budget Presentations from Nonprofits and City Departments

This meeting, held on April 10, 2026, featured a series of presentations from nonprofit organizations and city departments outlining their services, challenges, and funding requests for the upcoming fiscal year. Board members asked questions regarding funding gaps, cost drivers, and the impact of potential federal cuts. No votes were taken; the session was informational.

Presentations from Nonprofit Organizations

• New Covenant Center (John Gutman) – Requested $125,000 for case management. The center operates the largest soup kitchen and food pantry in Stamford, serving 300–350 daily meals (up from 175 pre-pandemic) and 1,500 individuals monthly through the pantry. A new facility is under construction on the east side, doubling space. Funds would support a second full-time case manager.
• Senior Nutrition Program (John Gutman, on behalf of Catholic Charities) – Provides meals on wheels and congregate meals to over 400 seniors daily. Highlights the social connection provided by drivers. No specific dollar request stated; rather, the presentation described the program’s impact and need for continued support.
• Inspirica (Executive Director) – Provides emergency and permanent supportive housing across 12 facilities, housing over 500 individuals nightly. Served nearly 4,200 community members in the past year. Challenges include food insecurity due to SNAP reductions, potential HUD funding changes, and lack of affordable housing. The organization is exploring building additional affordable housing on existing property. No specific dollar request noted; general support sought.
• Domus (Tom Lang) – Operates Domus Works (workforce development) and a school engagement program for disconnected youth aged 12–26. Served 86 young people last year, on track for 106 this year. The youth service corps maintains 26 parks with the city. Retention rate is 86%. No explicit dollar amount requested; presentation focused on program outcomes.
• Liberation Programs (Richard Liberano) – Requested $150,000 for Stamford services. Provides substance use treatment and prevention, primarily for opioid use disorder. Served 2,169 Stamford clients in FY2025, nearly double the number from three years prior. 87% of residential clients completed treatment plans. No capital requests through the city.
• Pacific House (Sylvia Narvaez) – Requested $100,000 to expand street outreach capacity. Serving 157 unsheltered clients in FY2026 (to date), housing 55 directly from the street. Two outreach workers are insufficient; additional staffing would allow non‑traditional hours. Currently 53 homeless individuals known in Stamford (8 females, 3 families, 42 males).
• Future Five (Amanda) – Requested $50,000 in general operating support. Connects motivated under‑resourced students to resources for college and career success. Serves 250 high school and 130 college students, with a waitlist of over 100. 100% high school graduation rate; 68% of entering freshmen had zero debt planned. Recently moved to a new facility.
• Rowan Center (Sharon Walker Absolum & Cody) – Provides sexual assault crisis response, counseling, and prevention education. Crisis counseling demand up 30%, hospital accompaniments up 80%. The trauma recovery clinic doubled in size. Federal funding (VOCA) being cut 21% next year, with potential zero funding thereafter. No specific dollar request; presentation emphasized rising demand and funding uncertainty.
• St. Joseph’s Parenting Center (Ryan Drenzik) – Requested support for the Stamford Center to strengthen families at risk of child abuse. Served 250 families (625 children) in Stamford last year. Lost $600,000 in federal funding in October 2025, forcing staff reductions and a lighter case management model. Programs are free and include parenting education, fatherhood groups, and women’s circles. Meals are provided before classes.
• Building One Community (Marisa Munoz) – Serves the immigrant community with English classes, workforce development, immigration legal services, and an after‑school program. Served over 5,500 people last year. Growing demand for legal services due to political climate. No specific dollar request; presentation highlighted programs and need for continued support.
• Person to Person (Nancy) – First time seeking city funding. Provides food pantries, emergency financial assistance, and a clothing center. 67% of clients are Stamford residents (over 15,000). Provides enough food for 1.5 million meals to Stamford residents annually. Also offers financial coaching and college scholarships. Projected 1,200 Stamford residents may lose SNAP benefits. The organization has a balanced budget and a $4 million endowment.

City Department Budget Presentations

• Technology Management (Persan) – Presented the FY2026‑27 IT budget. No increase in capital budget; operating budget up $236,000, mainly due to $250,000 increase in software maintenance (mostly contractual). Two requested analyst positions were not included in the mayor’s proposal; consultant contracts will continue. Key initiatives include migrating police records management to the cloud, replacing end‑of‑life servers, transitioning fiber to city‑owned, and implementing a data warehouse. An AI adoption roadmap is being developed with Babson College, expected in May. Board requested a follow‑up presentation on the AI roadmap.
• Legal Department (Tom) – Requested two new positions: a full‑time assistant corporation counsel and a full‑time paralegal, driven by a doubling of contracts and increased CHRO/FOI complaints (partly due to AI‑generated filings). Salary line up 18% due to these positions and contractual increases. Software costs are decreasing as they transition from CityLaw to a new system (Matrix).
• Human Resources (Paula) – Requested one new position (leave of absence administrator) and a functional realignment of existing roles. Total staffing increase of one body. Salary line up about 5% (contractual). Software maintenance increased due to implementing a new performance management system (NeoGov) and applicant tracking system. Six union contracts are expiring this year. The performance management system implementation is being managed by an existing Career Development Leadership and Training Manager.
• Employee Benefits (Paula) – Presented health insurance projections. FY2026‑27 active employee benefits expected to increase 9.7% ($3.6 million), retiree benefits up 10% ($1.1 million), driven by State Partnership Plan rate adjustments and Medicare trends (assumed 15% increase). No plan design changes. The city is fully aligned with the Connecticut State Partnership Plan.

Key Outcomes

• No votes or formal decisions were taken; the meeting was for informational briefings and discussions.
• Board members asked questions about funding gaps, cost control, and the impact of federal cuts, and requested follow‑up information (e.g., AI roadmap presentation, breakdown of benefits budget lines).
• Several organizations noted significant increases in demand and uncertainty due to potential federal funding reductions.
• The meeting concluded with thanks to presenters and staff.