Funding area organizations in need of capital support for their projects

The Woodlands County Community Services Committee met on December 9 for their regular meeting. One of the topics had to do with 2022 Capital Grant requests from organizations within the municipality. The Committee’s role is to provide recommendations to Woodlands County Council on whether they feel the grant requests should be included in next year’s budget deliberations.

Three requests were received. The Blue Ridge Community League requested $7,620 towards fire exit repairs and the relocation of their cenotaph. The Whitecourt & District Agricultural Society requested $12,072.50 to replace their oven, dishwasher, and toilet. The final request came from the Fort Assiniboine Agricultural Society for their boiler replacement valued at $11,500. Groups are eligible to apply for a portion of the cost of their projects.

There was concern that the Ag. Society of Fort Assiniboine, which had already purchased and installed the boiler in the arena, had the funds to cover the cost and didn’t necessarily need to ask Woodlands County for help in funding it. Councillor Alan Deane gave his thoughts on the funding and the groups that seek out assistance from the County.

“To me, I applaud the group. They have money in the bank. They are well run. Finding volunteers to fill those positions is hard, and I don’t begrudge them from having money in the bank. The amount of money they are asking for is manageable. I support anything in our hamlets that improves the quality of life for our residents, and I don’t think that amount of money is unreasonable. I don’t view it as they shouldn’t apply because they have money in the bank. I view it as sooner or later they are going to use that money for something capital-related, and that’s going to augment the services.”

Councillor Deane said he felt that organizations should apply every year, whether they had funds in place at the time or not. “Just because they have money in the bank doesn’t preclude them from applying.”

Member Tina Prodaniuk asked if organizations that receive capital grants need to report on how they used it and wondered how that would work if they funded a group for a purchase made the year prior. Heather Anderson, Community Services Coordinator, said that the current policy does not state groups must apply before spending money, unlike the County’s Recreation Grant, which does. She suggested adding such a caveat to the policy during an upcoming review. “All they have to do by the end of the year is provide a receipt for their capital purchase and then a final report that says what they did with it.”

Councillor Deane asked when the funds would be distributed. “Capital grants are normally talked about now so that we can include them in the budget next year. So, this is actually a capital grant for 2022. I don’t know how it would work since they purchased it in 2021. We don’t have the money for (that),” explained Anderson.

Councillor Deane said he was thinking of it from a functional point of view. “They had to put that thing in (boiler) because the facility needed it. They probably should’ve applied before, like a year ago, knowing they were going to do the project anyway.” He then asked if they wouldn’t receive the funds because it wasn’t purchased and applied for in the same year. “It’s in the budget. The only thing is that from an auditor’s perspective when you’re dispersing funds for 2022 for something done in 2021, they don’t like that. Not saying they wouldn’t, but it is frowned upon,” explained Anderson.

Prodaniuk shared her thoughts. “I think as long as there’s a caveat that they purchased it because of an emergency replacement. (Having) the funding doesn’t mean they won’t need that (funding) for something else. An in and out kind of thing.” Councillor Deane agreed. “Capital infrastructure requires maintenance, and if you don’t do maintenance in the long run, it’s going to cost you a whole lot more. To me, this is just routine maintenance.”

Anderson reminded the Committee that they were providing Council with a recommendation to include or not include the funding in the budget. “Council can still say (yes or no),” she added. Councillor Deane chuckled. “If Council says yes and the auditors come back and give us a swat, whatever, then you get a swat. Don’t do it again.” Anderson, also chuckling, said she would send them to Councillor Deane.

The Committee agreed that the Fort Assiniboine Ag Society was doing great. “No one is trying to do anything nefarious. Coming back to volunteers, these groups are starting to dwindle all around our province and County, and we’ve got a group that’s doing a good job.” Anderson agreed. “This is the best they’ve ever done, just to let you know. They’ve always come to the County for an advance to their operating grant, and they haven’t asked for an advance in a couple of years now. So, they are doing fabulous. (There’s) something every day of the week through the winter (at the arena).”

Mayor Burrows provided some ideas about Asset Management for the Committee to consider with future grants. Woodlands County is still in the gathering phase of its Asset Management plan but has already benefitted from it. “If we are going to fund these clubs, we should be asking them to do that as well. Something like this should be in an Asset Management Program and funded annually through a little money set aside. If you look at some of the bank accounts of these organizations, they’ve got money sitting there, but it’s not allocated to anything. It makes them look flush, but they have upcoming projects. Maybe we should be asking the organizations to look forward to the things that are coming due, especially when they are looking after facilities that have big-ticket items like boilers, toilets, ovens.”

Anderson said it was a good point. “This is something over the next few years that we will be phasing in and working with them. It’s on the radar.” The Committee voted unanimously to recommend that Woodlands County Council include the three 2022 Capital Grant Requests in the budget process. Council will get the final say on if the funding is distributed.