City council is talking about making some changes to the way grants are given out to volunteer organizations. Right now, everyone who is asking for a donation has to come to council to ask for it. That includes things the city donates to every year, like the seniors community centre, festivals, and events.
But now, Mayor Steve Black says they are talking about moving those fixed expenses to a better spot in their budget. For example, all of the event donations, whether they be cash or in-kind, will fall in the tourism budget. Black says it’s about trying to narrow down that fund so the amount of requests that come to council is less.
Black says it will redistribute things into the proper budget. Council knows certain grants come up every year, and this way it’s just built into the budget that is responsible for it.
Council will then have a small pot of money leftover for smaller, one-off items that come up. That leftover number is being pitched at $25,000 right now, however that may still change. Council will continue to look at the issue before any final decisions are made.