Shelter to get no county money

Leah’s House had asked for $45,000 from commissioners

Friday, May 16, 2008

Leah’s House in Valley Lee requested $45,000 from county government this year, and its founder, Marguerite Morris, made an impassioned plea for funds at an April 22 public hearing.

After consideration, no funding was allocated to Leah’s House. Instead the commissioners said the new consolidated office of human services should encourage Leah’s House and the Three Oaks Center to open up a dialogue.

Three Oaks Center gets $130,000 from county government and received more than $30,000 for a study to find a new location in Lexington Park.

Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R) suggested splitting the $130,000 between Three Oaks and Leah’s House down the middle, ‘‘if I were King Solomon.” He said of Morris and Harry ‘‘Lanny” Lancaster Jr., director of Three Oaks, ‘‘Have them face each other and follow this.”

Commission President Francis Jack Russell (D) suggested that by including $20,000 in the budget of the new office of human services for Leah’s House, it would force the agency into some communication.

‘‘It’s gone on long enough and it’s not achieving any goals,” Commissioner Thomas A Mattingly Sr. (D) said.

‘‘I sense a quagmire here,” Russell said. ‘‘We gotta move off this dime.”

‘‘What we have here is a stalemate,” Jarboe said, who continued to advocate splitting Three Oaks’ $130,000.

Commissioner Kenny Dement (R) said he wanted to give Leah’s House some amount of funding, but said of making the two groups talk, ‘‘That’s not our job.”

The new office of human services is to start up July 1. The fiscal 2009 county budget should be signed by May 27.