This won’t be easy for Squamish’s newly-minted council.
Each year, well-meaning and deserving community groups and organizations go hat-in-hand to the District to ask for help.
Council decides who gets the assistance in the form of either cash grants or goods and services.
This year, the District received 41 applications requesting $427,500.
At the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, councillors did an initial review of some of the applications.
For 2019, based on budgeted general taxation from 2018 — the community grant program policy says that up to one per cent of the prior year’s budgeted general taxation may be used for community grants — up to $277,000 is available for these community enhancement grants.
Last year, $122,750 was committed to multi-year funding.
That means council has some tough decisions to make.
[In 2018, council approved $289,000 in grants with $247,500 being cash grants and $41,400 in in-kind services.]
District policy says these decisions on who gets what grants should be made by the end of December. Council will be hearing from some of the groups that they need more information from at a council meeting on Dec. 11.
The applications often give a peek behind the curtain at local organizations.
The Brackendale Fall Fair, for example, which was cancelled this year due to a lack of volunteers, is asking for $2,750 in services to hire District flaggers to direct traffic on the day of the fair, which coincides with the Gran Fondo road race.
The Sea to Sky BC SPCA, which, as of December is moving into a new 2,000 square-foot facility, is asking for $3,500. The animal shelter is planning to hold classes for both adults and children as well as kids camps and workshops.
There was a dramatic 85 per cent increase in terms of applications to have animals spayed or neutered at the Squamish branch, according to the organization’s application. For 2018, as of November, more than 24 animals were fixed, while in 2017 there were 13 total. With the Spay and Neuter Assistance Program, the SPCA helps low-income pet owners with the cost of the procedure.
Squamish Helping Hands is requesting $25,000 in 2019 and 2020 to expand its outreach program. Its application highlights some of the need in Squamish.
In 2017, Outreach Services helped 125 people with social assistance forms; took 130 people to medical appointments; transported 90 people to detox and recovery programs; helped 54 people file their taxes; helped 425 at weekly wellness classes, and assisted 60 people to receive food and clothing; and provided information on housing to 60 locals.
