The ombudsman office investigates complaints about government agencies and services for residents of Montgomery County.
Shaw said the city wants to work with the ombudsman office to help find other sources of funding from other jurisdictions it serves. Shaw said that could help strengthen the office.
Dayton officials originally proposed to eliminate all funding to the office after supporting it for 50 years.
The city said it is under significant financial pressure due to projected income tax revenue losses from work-from-home changes.
City Manager Shelley Dickstein last year said the city’s mediation center could handle the ombudsman’s cases at a lower cost.
The partial restoration of funding comes after about 19 community members spoke at Dayton commission meetings to urge the city leaders to reconsider.
“The citizens of Dayton rely on the ombudsman’s office, and I don’t think $50,000 is too much to pay,” said Mary Sue Gmeiner, a local resident speaking at Wednesday’s commission meeting.
The ombudsman can reach out to other local jurisdictions to ask for financial support, but the outcome is uncertain if not doubtful, said Diane Welborn, who has served as the Dayton-Montgomery County ombudsman for more than two decades.
Most people who contact the ombudsman office seeking assistance are Dayton residents, she said, and other jurisdictions may feel Montgomery County already covers their share of the cost.
The ombudsman’s office receives state grants to help advocate for residents of nursing homes and long-term care providers, Welborn said.
The office also receives funding from Dayton, Montgomery County and the Dayton Board of Education to investigate citizens’ complaints about government agencies.
“Ombudsman offices around the world are created by and supported by governments to provide their citizens with an independent means of redress for their complaints and concerns about the actions of government agencies,” Welborn said.
Dayton City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss said she hopes the ombudsman office’s funding will be restored and she’d like to see partnerships with other municipalities because it is important to protect vulnerable community members.
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