Centre Wellington council is going to limit the amount of money it annually gives to a dozen designated community groups after it supported a resolution to amend its grant application policy on Oct. 17.
Councillor Fred Morris presented a policy he and councillor Walt Visser worked on. Their recommendations were presented by deputy treasurer Mark Bradley.
Council approved a preliminary 2012 grant budget allocation of $55,000 and set the grants into four categories:
– $20,000 for performing and visual arts;
– $6,000 for special events;
– $5,000 for social and environmental organizations; and
– $24,000 for specific annual grants.
Bradley told council the total allocation is a 2.8 per cent increase. Council regularly gets requests, but a dozen groups do not have to apply. The requests includes giving some groups a break to rent township facilities.
Further, Bradley said, the recommendation is for a freeze for 2013.
He noted the Centre Wellington Food Bank has asked for $6,500, an increase from $5,000 given to it the previous year.
Bradley said a goal of the policy is “no one organization is approved for a large percentage of the grant funds available in any budget year. To that end, $5,000 is the recommended maximum any group could receive.” The food bank is the only group affected.
The recommendation ensures no one will receive more than 10% of the funds available in its category.
Councillor Kelly Linton said absent councillor Steve VanLeeuwen had wondered if the food bank should fall under social services – and be considered by Wellington County, which has control over that file.
Linton said, “This is difficult for them [the food bank] to handle.” He added, “To me, it’s a social service, and the county should pick it up.”
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj said the county already donates to the food bank, at about $2,000 a year. She explained continuous grants can quickly become “operating funds” and said the money, “loses its focus as a grant. It can’t be a fund that goes through an increment [increase] every year. The county feels the same way.”
Morris agreed with Linton the food bank is a social service, but said the idea of the report is to set limits on the budget, and not to consider one specific group.
“Let’s not drill down too far,” he said, adding the food bank was the catalyst for the report, with its request for $1,500 more this year.
“This is a budget item and not service to the community. It’s about challenges we may face in 2012. We’re trying to put some caps in place to control the ever increasing grants.”
Economic development manager Dave Rushton suggested council should announce its grants early in the year because that helps community groups plan. If they find out about grants only in April, one quarter of the year is already gone.
Visser said, “By setting this policy, people know what to expect.”
Ross-Zuj warned as well that the committee is just gathering information, and there are still final budget decisions to make, so things could change later.
Linton said he would like to see the annual grant split changed. He said the special annual grants are a huge percentage of council’s largesse.
Bradley said those groups are simply exempt from filing requests every year.
Visser smiled and said there is another point council should consider: that he and Morris, who have regularly clashed over the budget for years, are in agreement with the policy.
Morris smiled and added, “It’s got to be right.”
McElwain quipped, “It [their agreement] scares the hell out of me.”
Council then approved the policy, with only Linton opposed.
