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$400K in community grants under further budget review in Georgina

Approval deferred for grants to groups that provide arts and rec programs, trades training, tourism, business and transit services

Yorkregion.com
Jan 16, 2019
Heidi Riedner

Council stopped short of granting approval for a total $427,530 in budget requests from community groups, pending further review.

After a two-hour discussion at council Jan. 9, Ward 4 Coun. Frank Sebo said it would be “prudent” to hold off on approving both the base budgets, as well as any increases over last year’s funding, so they could be examined “relative to the big picture” of a proposed 3.9 per cent tax increase under the town's draft 2019 budget.

Although the requested increases over last year for the organizations would increase the town’s total budget by 0.25 per cent, they should not be considered in isolation from other budgetary items, Sebo said.

“If there are other concerns or other financial draws that are going to be considered, then we need to figure out where to find it,” he said. “I think we should keep all the pieces of the pie together to make those decisions.”

This year’s budget requests from community groups include:

All the groups on the list, except Jericho -- which provides programming such as day camps and after-school clubs for low- to moderate-income families -- are traditionally funded through the town's budget, with the gallery and chamber having formalized service agreements with the town because they provide what are considered core services for the municipality.

Although Jericho did not receive grant funding from the town last year, it received an average $255,000 per year under a services contract with the town from 2008 to 2014, and since 2014, it has received honorariums for services rendered.

Council directed staff to come back with potential partnership opportunities with Jericho, because there are some areas of overlap and duplication with services provided by the town.

Similarly, Ward 1 Coun. Mike Waddington said it seemed "odd" to have Routes requesting grant money that goes toward paying the GTTI an average $5,000 a year for charter bus service.

"Wouldn’t it just be more efficient for the town to fund GTTI for that service?" he asked.

The possibility of service agreements with the town and the GTTI and Military Museum similar to what exists for the arts centre and chamber will also come back for further council deliberation.

A majority of both groups funding is to cover operational costs.

A number of factors, including changes to funding streams that would account for up to $400,000 in provincial grants and an executive director's salary "piggybacking" the $24,000 in property taxes required since the GTTI lost its $1 annual "rent" to the town for use of the building have created the need for the "one-time ask" double the amount usually requested, GTTI board chair John De Faveri explained.

"We're running a deficit just to keep the doors open," De Faveri said.

Although regional Coun. Rob Grossi suggested some form of service agreement -- and accompanying tax break as a result -- for the training facility could be an option because it operates in a town-owned facility, Mayor Margaret Quirk said it may be a "bit of a stretch" to make the case that the GTTI provides core services for the town.

A staff report will come back to council when the community grants are revisited during full budget deliberations later this month.