TAMRMS#: B09
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GPFC Recommendations: Community Capital Program (C-CS-06) - Policy Amendments
Presented by: Anna Royer, Manager of Community Grants & Partnerships, Recreation & Parks Department
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RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
That that the amended version of Council Policy C-CS-06 Community Capital Program Grant, provided as an attachment to the October 7, 2019 agenda report entitled “Community Capital Policy Amendments”, be approved.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to provide Council with the results of a scheduled review of the Community Capital Grant Program and to bring forward proposed amendments to the governing Policy attached to the program.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
On September 9, 2019 the Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee passed the following motion:
(AR-19-193)
That the Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee recommend to Council that the amended version of Council Policy C-CS-06 Community Capital Program Grant, provided as an attachment to the September 9, 2019 agenda report entitled “Community Capital Policy Amendments”, be approved.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Policy C-CS-06 has experienced only a few amendments since its inception in 2009. As part of the regular Policy review cycle developed by Legislative Services, both Administration and the Community Services Advisory Committee (CSAC) have completed a review of the Policy and program and are making recommendations for amendments. While there are a few minor “housekeeping” amendments included in the attached red-line version, including the transfer of the Policy into the updated template, there are two more significant Policy amendments for Council’s consideration.
Currently the Policy places a grant allocation cap of $60,000 on each playground development or playground replacement project application. The CSAC is recommending increasing the cap to $100,000 (and not to exceed one third of the total project budget) per playground project as the majority of projects requesting funding support have a total project budget closer to $300,000. They feel it is extremely challenging for this type of volunteer group to raise the funds needed as the nature of their fundraising is limited and they do not have day to day opportunity for revenue through avenues such as registrations, programs, or rentals. In addition, the opportunity for wide reaching use of the facility is great, with no cost to participate. The applicant would continue to only be eligible for up to one third of the total project budget.
The CSAC is also recommending an amendment to the Policy to allow unallocated dollars to be carried forward to be used in future years. This may assist with the availability of funds in years in which an oversubscription in requests is experienced. This has been included in the amended red line version and includes a recommended cap on the dollars allowable to carry forward to future budget years.
Additional amendments include:
• removing specific dates within the Policy and replacing with seasonal time periods (ie. “March” amended to “spring”);
• removal of the reference to the “Community Capital Grant Framework” under the section Responsibilities 3. The program is now in its tenth year of operation and is well established. The inclusion of the reference to the framework is unnecessary;
• under Responsibilities 5.a. the amendment from six to twelve months. This is to allow for the time frame that often is required in order to secure provincial grants.
Administration has included the recommended increase to the funding cap regarding playground projects although Council should be aware that this may diminish funding available for allocation to other grant submissions for valuable community projects. While allocation of the full $100,000 for a playground project would not be a guarantee, the expectation may inadvertently be created.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
The CSAC has reviewed the Policy and program with their recommendations included within this report and the proposed amendments.
The CSAC are also supportive of an increase to the overall budget for this program as it has been capped at $250,000 since 2013. This grant Policy does not include a specific funding formula but rather the budget amount is considered each year as part of the capital RMR (Repair, Maintain, Replace) process. As the RMR budget for 2020 has already been approved by Council, Administration will consider bringing forward an increased budget amount for this grant program as part of the 2021 process.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
None at this time.
Legal / Risk:
None at this time.
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
None at this time.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
If Council does not wish to support the recommendation, the following alternatives could be considered:
Alternative 1. 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.
Alternative 2. No action at this time.
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Report Date: October 7, 2019
Author(s): Anna Royer
Committee/Department: Recreation & Parks Department
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble