Help us please. That was the refrain from representatives of about 30 community groups seeking financial support from council at the committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday.
Their wishes ranged from requests for a waiving of portions of property taxes, such as from Alano Club of Squamish, which runs a 12-step alcohol and addictions program, to larger cash requests such as from the Howe Sound Women’s Centre Society, whose representatives asked for about $16, 500 for its programs for vulnerable women and children.
Some were first-time requests such as one from the Squamish Farmer’s Market Association, whose representative asked for about $1,500 to hire someone to direct shoppers to recycling bins. Others were requests that were the same as those from previous years, such as from Squamish Off-Road Association, a community partner, which sought $60,000 for the third year in a row to help with trail maintenance.
About $362,000 in total was requested. The District of Squamish currently has about $170,000 in its 2015 draft budget to allocate for grants, according to district staff.
Councillor Ted Prior asked many of the presenters if they owned a home and would agree to an increase in property taxes to help cover all the requests.
“Last year I thought, next year I am going to ask everybody if they are OK with a tax increase,” he said. The question drew nervous laughter from some of the presenters.
Jamieson Murray, a Squamish Motorcycle Association representative, made a first-time request for about $3,000 for the second annual motorcycle festival to be held on the July long weekend.
More than 1,000 people came in for the festival last year, which included entertainment, a Show and Shine and group ride. Last year the members put on the festival with about $4,000 of their own money, Murray said.
“Essentially we just want to promote more riding in Squamish,” Murray told The Squamish Chief after his brief presentation to the committee.
“A few thousand people come through Squamish every day on their motorcycles and all they know is Starbucks and the gas station,” Murray said. “So [we] just wanted to showcase Squamish.”
This year the event will be held in the downtown and there will be more of a focus on engaging the wider community by using Pavilion Park and hosting live bands, he said.
Last year the group donated $1,000 of the festival’s proceeds to the Squamish Food Bank and this year, members plan to give proceeds to the Howe Sound Secondary shop classes for new equipment.
After all the presentations, Mayor Patricia Heintzman said it is difficult for council to pick and choose from so many important groups and requests. “It is always a really, really tough decision of council to distill all this down, but it is also a wonderful thing to hear about all the fantastic organizations and groups that basically make this town tick,” she said.
The grant decisions are expected in a few weeks.
This post has been modified since its original posting to reflect the numbers given by the Squamish Motorcycle Festival.
