TOWNSHIP OF ESQUIMALT STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: April 15, 2024 Report No. FIN-24-007
TO: Committee of the Whole
FROM: Ian Irvine, Director of Financial Services
SUBJECT: Local Grants
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That the Committee of the Whole recommends to Council that it consider potential amendments to the Township's local grants program.
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Based on a recommendation by the Local Grant Committee, approved by Council, that the Committee of the Whole discuss several fundamental questions about the future of the Township's local grant program.
BACKGROUND:
During its recent meeting, the Local Grant Committee raised several issues regarding the Township's current local grant program. It recommended that the Committee of the Whole engage in a fulsome discussion regarding the vision and intended objectives for any Township grant program. It also asked staff to evaluate other municipal grant programs within the region and report on other models and approaches in place.
Based on recent comments and feedback from the Local Grant Committee, challenges remain around the evaluation of applications and the inability to provide full financial support to all deserving organizations. Over the years, new Councils and changing Local Grant Committee compositions have brought differing viewpoints regarding the purpose, objective, and applicability of Township local grants, however frustration around these challenges has remained constant.
The recent Local Grant Committee recommendation is intended to initiate discussion about the Township's existing local grant program and about any desired changes. This includes fundamental questions about whether they wish to have a local grant program and if so, how should it look and function to ensure it provides Council's desired benefits to the community.
In recent years, the Local Grants Policy and process have often been the subject of Council discussions and staff reports. Since 2016, the T...
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