The Indianola Board of Aldermen heard a plea for help Monday night from Sunflower-Humphreys Counties Progress, Inc., as the nonprofit requested its $50,000 in annual support to continue assisting low-income residents with utilities, senior care and transportation needs.
Speaking before the board at City Hall, Progress Director Monica Hope explained that the agency has suffered steep cuts in federal energy assistance, falling from more than $2 million last year to about $556,000 this year. As a result, more than 600 residents are currently on a waiting list for energy aid.
“Our citizens are being impacted deeply,” Hope said. “We just don’t have enough resources to meet the demand. This request of $50,000 would help us maintain vital programs for seniors, transportation and utility assistance.”
Hope added that eligibility requirements for senior services have become more restrictive, forcing some residents out of qualification. The agency’s senior companion grant and transportation services also require matching funds, she said, which the city appropriation could help cover.
The nonprofit previously received assistance from the city, including $35,000 approved in 2021. Hope also noted that Progress once received monthly city support dating back to 2004 before the allocations ended.
Mayor Ken Featherstone and aldermen acknowledged the request but said the board could not make a commitment before finalizing the city’s budget.
“I’d like to take this up under advisement and table it until after we get our budget, because we don’t know where we are,” Ward 1 Alderman Gary Fratesi said. He noted that earlier city budget talks suggested the deficit could be between $1 million and $1.5 million.
A motion to table the appropriation request was made by Fratesi and seconded by Ward 5 Alderman Sam Brock. The measure passed unanimously, with all five aldermen — Fratesi, Darrell Simpson of Ward 2, Ruben Woods of Ward 3, Marvin Elder of Ward 4 and Brock — voting in favor.
