TAMRMS#: B06
title
GPFC Recommendation: Amendments to C-CS-01 Games Legacy Policy
Presented by: Anna Royer, Business Manager
label
RECOMMENDATION(S)
recommendation
That the amended version of Council Policy C-CS-01 Games Legacy Award Program provided as an attachment to the November 26, 2018 agenda report entitled “GPFC Recommendation: Amendments to C-CS-01 Games Legacy Policy” be approved.
body
PURPOSE OF REPORT
As per the recommendation and direction from November 13, 2018 Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee an amended Council Policy governing the grant program formerly known as the Games Legacy Program is being brought to Council for consideration and approval. The amended policy contains the following name change to this program: “The St. Albert Athlete and Artist Development Grant”.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
COUNCIL DIRECTION
On November 13, 2018 The Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee passed the following motion:
That the Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee recommend to Council that the amended version of Council Policy C-CS-01 Games Legacy Award Program provided as an attachment to the November 13, 2018 agenda report entitled “Amendments to C-CS-01 Games Legacy Policy” be approved.
On July 9, 2018 Council passed the following motions:
(CM-18-037)
That Administration bring back recommendations, including feedback from the CSAC, for amendments to Policy C-CS-01 - Games Legacy Award Program by October 31, 2018 to increase the maximum funding awarded for all categories, considering no increases have occurred since 2012, and that future maximum funding is increased annually based on recommendations of Administration.
That Administration bring back recommendations, including feedback from the CSAC, for amendments to Policy C-CS-01 - Games Legacy Award Program by October 31, 2018 to update the name of the grant to reflect that it is a grant, and that it is available for both amateur sport and art endeavors.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Games Legacy Grant Program provides funding support to St. Albert non-profit groups and individuals through two grant streams. Category “A” provides developmental opportunities in amateur sport or the arts through programs or projects that are beyond the groups or individuals regular training, development or instruction. Category “B” provides financial support to assist individuals or teams/groups for travel and accommodation costs associated with national or international sport championships or arts events.
The current funding framework for this program allows for eligible applicants in “Category A” to apply for a maximum of $2,500 for their project/program. Applicants in “Category B” are eligible to receive $750 if applying as an individual or a maximum of $1,500 if three or more eligible individuals apply from the same team or if a team applies. The budget for this program is based on $0.25 per capita with carry forward from year to year of unused or unallocated dollars permitted.
The maximum funding awarded in both Category “A” and “B” of this program has remained unchanged since 2011 when Category “B” was first introduced. The intake of this grant program has slowly been increasing but with the allowance to carry forward unallocated dollars from the previous year, eligible applicants and requests have been well within the available funding. Currently the average carry-forward amount has been approximately $16,000 per year. Increasing the maximum funding in all areas will impact overall funding availability, and at some point, increasing the funding formula of $0.25 per capita may need to be reviewed as the carry forward will be minimalized or non-existent. As the overall funding available has been steadily increasing as the population increases, at this time it is not identified as a need to increase the per capita amount as noted in the Council motion as the program is undersubscribed.
Category “A” currently includes two opportunities for funding. A group or individual can apply for up to $2,500 to participate in a developmental activity which benefits both the applicant and the community. The second opportunity for funding in this category relates to the purchase of equipment. Current limit for this type of expense is $1,000.
Category “B” currently includes two sub-streams (individual or team), with the maximum grant for an individual being $750 and the maximum for a team being $1,500. Further if three or more individual applications are received from members of the same team, the total maximum amount awarded will not exceed the team amount of $1,500. The amount awarded is divided among the St. Albert team members who have applied.
Proposed changes to grant allocations
Administration discussed the allocation amounts with the CSAC at their September 25 meeting with the following recommendations supported:
Category “A”: increase from $2,500 to $3,000 maximum grant
Increase from $1,000 to $1,200 for maximum equipment grant.
Category “B”:
1. Individual: maximum grant of $800 per person for events within North America; maximum grant of $900 per person for events outside continental North America.
2. Groups: maximum grant of $500 per person to a maximum of $5,000 per team/group for events within North America; maximum grant of $600 per person to a maximum of $6,000 per team/group for travel outside of continental North America. *Four or more participants from the same team/group are considered under the “group” stream.
The rationale for groups having a lower maximum grant amount includes:
- groups tend to organize larger event fundraisers (bingo, raffles, steak nights)
- groups have more opportunity to utilize charters or block discounts for travel and hotel
- groups can house participants together thus sharing and decreasing accommodation expenses.
Changing the name of the grant program:
The name of this grant program is historical, just shy of 40 years running. The St. Albert Games Legacy Award Program was established as a result of grant funding received from the Provincial Government for hosting the 1979 Alberta Summer Games and the 1994 Alberta Winter Games together with the surplus funds derived from the operation of these Games. Initially these funds were allocated for one-time expenditures to encourage the development and growth for St. Albert non-profit groups in activities related to amateur sport and the arts. While historical significance is important, it is also valuable to ensure that the name of a funding program provides easy association to community members.
Through discussion with members of the GPFC, the recommendation is to change the name of this program to the following:
“St. Albert Athlete and Artist Development Grant”
Proposed amendments to Policy C-CS-01 reflecting the matters contained in the report above have been incorporated into the new policy template. As substantial carry forward dollars will be available again for 2019, there are no adjustments being recommended to the base budget for this grant program.
Additional proposed policy amendment:
It is also being proposed that the under the definitions, “Eligible Expense” be amended to allow applicants to apply retroactively for competitions/events up to the date of the last intake. This is to reflect current practise more clearly as there have been a number of situations where an applicant only has a very brief period of time between when they find out they have qualified and will be attending an event and the event itself. The amendment allows a more workable timeframe for seeking and applying for funding assistance for our residents.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
The Community Services Advisory Committee were engaged in the review of the allocation amounts and the discussion regarding renaming the program, and the were supportive of the changes presented within the amended policy.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
None at this time.
Legal / Risk:
None at this time.
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
There will be minimal administrative work required complete the amendments; mainly related to the name of the program and funding details contained within both printed and electronic materials.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
If Council does not wish to support the recommendation, the following alternative could be considered:
a) Refer the matter back to Administration for further consideration, as per the general discussion held by Council, and direct that a revised Policy or follow-up report be brought back to Council at a future date.
Report Date: November 26, 2018
Author(s): Anna Royer
Committee/Department: Recreation & Parks
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer/Chief People Officer: Michelle Bonnici
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble