A funding shortfall could be looming for Mecklenburg County’s food assistance program, also known as SNAP.
According to a draft presentation released ahead of Tuesday night’s Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners meeting, the county expects to lose about $7.5 million in federal funding for the program next fiscal year, followed by another $10 million reduction the year after.
County officials say the cuts stem from last year’s Republican tax and spending measure known as the “Big Beautiful Bill.” While SNAP benefits themselves are fully funded by the federal government, administrative costs for the program are shared among federal, state and local governments. That means Mecklenburg County would have to pay more out of its own budget to keep administering the program.
Commissioner Vilma Leake said the county may need to reallocate funding from other departments to make up the difference.
“The budget that we work on, we’ll make some sacrifices with other agencies that we can make some decisions that will impact the lives of our people because we’re gonna suffer. There’s no buts and ands about it,” Leake said.
