The Escambia Children’s Trust has proposed an interlocal agreement to the Escambia County Commission to address the ongoing debate about tax increment dollars from Community Redevelopment Agency districts.
- Rather than pursuing lengthy court battles to determine which statute takes precedence, Executive Director Lindsey Cannon and her team have chosen a collaborative approach that benefits the community’s youth.
The catalyst for this agreement came when Cannon learned about a funding shortfall in the county’s summer youth employment program.
“We don’t need a shortfall for our summer youth employment program. We need to make that whole,” Cannon explained during her interview on the “(we don’t) Color On the Dog” podcast.
Outtakes
In this week’s Outtakes (“An Innovative Compromise“), we explain our support for this concept.
We believe Escambia County has an important opportunity to support youth development by approving the Escambia Children’s Trust’s proposal to redirect nearly $500,000 of tax increment funds to the Summer Youth Employment Program.
Why this matters: The compromise that would directly benefit children by expanding a program that currently turns away over 1,100 motivated youth. It program provides not just jobs but dignity, opportunity, and valuable life skills while putting money directly into disadvantaged kids’ hands.
- While we acknowledge Commissioner Kohler’s concerns about safety infrastructure and Commissioner Stroberger’s desire for permanent improvements, we favor immediate program funding that aligns with ECT’s mission.
The potential partnership would serve as a model for maximizing tax dollar impact, and you believe approving the interlocal agreement would demonstrate a meaningful commitment to youth development in Escambia County.
Expanding Youth Opportunities Beyond Early Childhood
While the Escambia Children’s Trust has established strong programming for kindergarten through fifth-grade children, Cannon acknowledges they need to focus more on middle and high school students. The summer youth employment program offers an excellent opportunity to engage older youth who might otherwise be overlooked.
Cannon, who has extensive experience working with homeless teens, sees this program as beneficial not just for employment purposes but also for helping young people understand how local government operates. She compares it to her own experience with the LEAP program, which taught her valuable lessons about city and county operations.
Creating Countywide Impact Through Consolidation
The proposal has caught the attention of Pensacola Mayor DC Reeves, who is considering folding the city’s smaller youth employment program into this initiative. This consolidation would create a single, professionally managed countywide program with consistent metrics and broader reach.
For Cannon, this is just the beginning. “We really are here to fill gaps. We’re not here to supplant,” she emphasized.
The Trust aims to identify and address service gaps, particularly for a program with proven benefits and robust follow-up that tracks outcomes like continued education and employment status of participants.
Next Steps Toward Implementation
The immediate next step involves gathering comprehensive information about the summer youth employment program’s outcomes and metrics. Cannon will collaborate with Claire Long, who runs the program, to prepare this information for the Trust’s board meeting.
The county has expressed interest in a three-year agreement that would enhance and stabilize the youth employment program, using what Cannon referred to as “back tax dollars.” After this period, the arrangement could be reassessed based on outcomes and community needs.