Another year of the budget process is complete at the SLRD. The conversations have been had, the negotiations were at times tense, but nonetheless we finished what we had to do to move the organization through another year.
An area of concern in this process and I know is a hotly debated item in the DOS's grants-in-aid, is how to best divide up a very lean pie without the decisions looking overly political in nature.
We have a similar system in the SLRD except that the area directors decide what is to happen with their "select funds" or grants in aid. Meeting by meeting, we may come forward with proposals or ideas to spend these funds. It does not seem overly democratic to have one individual bring forward proposals to spend monies in their own communities. Although the Electoral Area Directors board votes on each item and letters of request are attached, the never-ending idea of losing your select funds weighs in the back your mind.
Does this system of grant in aid or select funds really work? To some people it does not. One example: Last year I had a request from Oliver's Landing in Furry Creek to support a Christmas community event. The request was for $250 for the rental of tables, chairs and linens for the hall. Seemed reasonable to me. Upon further investigation, it was brought to my attention that this rental occurred time and again when events occurred at the hall. My Spidey business sense led me to a conversation around the question of why rent twice a year when we can purchase and our investment will be paid for in four rentals? So I, the elected official, approved $1,000 for this investment of tables and chairs, much to the delight of some in Oliver's Landing. After all, they pay taxes and should receive some grants-in-aid, right?
Not so fast, Director Freitag. Some others did not feel as though one of the most affluent areas in the corridor should have received four times their request for the purchase of tables and chairs for the hall. After some back-and-forth with the upset constituents, we had to agree to disagree.
So what is the best way to allocate grant-in-aid funds? Is it to spend countless staff and elected officials' hours arguing over a small amount of money in comparison to the whole budget? If you measured as an example how many staff and political hours are spent in the DOS on less the $200,000, what would the administration costs for these funds be?
One solution from Whistler Coun. Jack Crompton was to put all the money into a pool and have the applicants negotiate among themselves how to best spend the funds. The applicants work out a proposal together and present to council or the board on their agreement. Limit the number of participants and have set meeting times for negotiations to occur. The results are what the proponents have settled on and the politicians stop politicizing grants-in-aid.
