MONROE COUNTY, N.Y. — “It’s important — considering that I represent two of the most impoverished zip codes — that we do this right,” said Monroe County Legislator Mercedes Vazquez Simmons.

Monroe County wants a new middleman to distribute COVID relief funds to small, grassroots organizations that assist those in need.

The Community Resource Collaborative was supposed to be the middleman. But it was ousted for financial mismanagement, of more than $1.1 million in American Rescue Plan Funding.

The county shared its pick, Starbridge Services, to replace CRC. It’s a nonprofit that specializes in helping those with disabilities, with employment and family needs.

County leaders declined to share more about the organization, and representatives for Starbridge itself also had no comment on Friday.

But there are larger questions at the forefront, according to Legislator Rachel Barnhart. Like, why is a fiscal sponsor even needed for all these funds? And, how can a simple replacement ensure all will run smoothly in the future?

“Absolutely no one was in charge,” said Barnhart, of the CRC’s handling. “So I’m going to be asking, is Starbridge in charge? Are they going to be managing this?”

Barnhart said she needs these questions answered before voting “yes” or “no.”

Monroe County shared more from an audit on CRC misuse of federal funds, and found the organization owed nearly $250,000.

“But you know what this audit did not do? The audit did not look at the county’s culpability in this mess; the county’s role in oversight here, and even in awarding the contract,” said Barnhart.

Barnhart, Vazquez Simmons and others are hoping to learn a lot more, after writing a letter to County Executive Adam Bello’s administration earlier this month. In the letter, they request documents, emails, Zoom recordings, reports and even resumes, with hopes of understanding more behind-the-scenes.

“Individuals have called me to say, you know, have we really done our due diligence with this?” said Vazquez Simmons. “And it’s not a final decision.”

Bello told our Jennifer Lewke in March that he has a response team for this money, which is meeting regularly with all grantees.

“This is an opportunity for the county Legislature to truly do this correctly,” said Vazquez Simmons. “I was born and raised in this district, blessed to serve the district that raised me; I’ve seen and experienced poverty firsthand, witnessed the impacts of drugs in this community, the deterioration. I want to make sure we do this correctly.”

In a post on X, Barnhart shared a response from Monroe County, saying it’s requesting until April 19 to answer her questions.

Republican Conference Spokesman Reilly O’Brien released the following statement to News10NBC:

“The Republican Conference awaits receipt of the latest requested information from the Administration regarding Community Resource Collaborative and ARPA oversight by the provided deadline of April 16th. These answers will help provide insight into the validity and oversight of any potential replacement, such as Starbridge. Republican Legislators look forward to reviewing their specific proposal in-depth as it comes before the Legislature, which will be subject to extensive questioning to fully ensure our taxpayer dollars are protected,”

The county’s proposal will go to committees on April 30, and if it passes, it will appear before the full legislature on May 14.