For nonprofits, no free lunch

Nonprofit meal programs and schools may see their annual county licensing fees double next year because of King County's budget crisis.

The Seattle-King County Board of Health is to vote next month on a new, much higher fee schedule for such license holders, which previously have paid a subsidized rate. The King County Council removed the subsidy to help close a $93 million budget hole.

The increases would mean nonprofits and schools would pay essentially what restaurants do. The licensing fees cover inspections and food-safety education.

The increases would affect more than 450 nonprofits. Depending on what food they serve and what preparation they do on site, their fees would go up from $150 to $350 a year.

That might not seem like much, but meal programs often have almost no budget at all, said Sinan Demirel, who operates the ROOTS — Rising Out of the Shadows — shelter, which serves young adults in the University District. "People do it out of love and community, with very few resources to make it happen," he said. "This is a real blow to that."

Donations are down right now at nonprofits, but demand is heavy because of the recession. The hot-lunch program at El Centro de la Raza is serving two-thirds more people now than in October, said Rebecca Allen, the center's citizenship coordinator.

El Centro's hot-meal program is facing an $800 fee increase next year — the amount it costs to provide 200 of its meals.

The proposed increases would have an impact of about $10,000 for Seattle Public Schools, which needs a permit for each of its school kitchens.

The district is in the middle of its own budget crisis, said Nutrition Services Director Anita Finch. "This is not a good time for us to also have increased fees."

King County says it's just trying to collect what it costs to monitor each kitchen. Board of Health Chairwoman Julia Patterson said the subsidies weren't as high a priority as some of the other programs the county considered cutting.

"Public officials have to balance all of these competing needs, and then in the end we have to balance the budget," she said. "You have to make these decisions, and it's not easy."

To lessen the impact, the county might make fewer inspections or find more efficient ways to provide education. Some nonprofits may not even need to be licensed.

The board is likely to vote on the new fees at its July 16 meeting.

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com