REQUEST FOR DECISION
DATE: November 30, 2020 Report No. FIN-20-016
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Ian Irvine, Director of Financial Services
SUBJECT:
Title
Local Grant Policy
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council approve Council Policy ADMIN-32 Local Grants as amended and attached to Staff Report No. FIN-20-016.
Body
RELEVANT POLICY:
Council Policy ADMIN-32 Local Grants
STRATEGIC RELEVANCE:
Healthy, Livable and Diverse Community - Support the arts, culture and heritage community
BACKGROUND:
During its meeting to review the 2020 grant applications, the Local Grant Committee recommended a review of the Township's Council Policy ADMIN-32 Local Grants. Specifically, it was requested that the Policy be revised with consideration given to the amount and allocation of total grant finding, the potential for approving multiple year grants and the creation of more specific evaluation and eligibility criteria.
The Council Policy was last amended in October 2016 at which time the funding levels were increased, the timing of the grant process was shifted and multiple policies relating to local grants were consolidated into one document.
ISSUES:
1. Rationale for Selected Option
The Local Grant Committee indicated that evaluating applications is sometimes challenging due to inconsistencies in the information submitted by applicants and the minimal guidance provided by the existing Council Policy. To address these concerns, the application form has been amended and the Policy revised to establish parameters and categories to help guide the evaluation process. Similar to what was established for permissive tax exemptions, an online, fillable application form has been created and would be available on the Township website. This document has been designed to gather all relevant information and would be intended to facilitate a more consistent evaluation by the Local Grant Committee.
The revised Council Policy indicate...
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