County councillors are hoping a new policy will end debates about grants that can drag on for weeks.
Council approved a recommendation from a subcommittee of the finance committee for new grant applications for community groups, and a separate one for bursaries and scholarships.
The county had been inundated with requests, some of them for thousands of dollars, and councillors had reached the point where they were unsure exactly why they were being asked for money, and who was deserving of it.
The subcommittee made it clear that some groups will continue to receive funding as a matter of course. Councillor Joanne Ross-Zuj, speaking for that subcommittee, explained that some groups are exempt from applying. Those include:
– all agricultural societies within Wellington County;
– Wellington 4-H;
– Wellington Farm and Home Safety;
– Wellington County Plowmen’s Association; and
– Wellington Soil and Crop Improvement.
The subcommittee did state that in order to be exempt from applying, those organizations would simply have to send a letter to the county asking for a grant. That letter and the application for those who face applications must be at the county by Nov. 30.
The letter must identify the need for a grant for the year in question and the general intent of the use of the funds. The county must receive that letter by the deadline every year before any funds are forwarded to those organizations.
Further, the subcommittee recommended the applicants will be reviewed every year.
The committee also stated, community programs and events that apply for a grant “will be allotted a maximum of $2,000 per application.”
Other rules for groups applying for grants include an application completed in full, the applicant must be operating as a not-for-profit organization; it must have a formal organizational structure such as a board, directors, a committee structure or a structure similar in nature, and the application must be providing services or products that are benefiting the county and its residents.
The subcommittee noted that council itself might give consideration to entities that do not meet all criteria but are requesting funds for emergency or disaster relief. Further, all requests over $2,000 will be decided by council.
When it comes to bursaries and scholarships, applicants will also have to fill in a complete application, including the post secondary institute they will be attending, and most importantly, they will have to list their community involvement over the final two years before applying. They must also supply references, including teachers and citizens, a copy of the grade transcript, and a letter indicating their financial circumstances.
All personal information will be used only for the consideration of the scholarship or bursary. The deadline for application is Aug. 31.
Ross-Zuj said the committee had included many suggestions from councillors, and believes it has sought the information that will allow it to make good decisions.
As for the automatic agricultural grants, Ross-Zuj said those are “a given.”
Councillor Mark McKenzie asked, “At what point will the committee decide we’re not the bank any more?”
Warden John Green said the recommendation cuts the grants and awards back, with the majority of them between $500 and $2,000.
McKenzie pressed on, wondering when council will say no more money is available.
Green said people can make separate applications every year, $15,000 total decided at the committee level, and anything above that comes to county council to be judged “on its own merit.”
Councillor Chris White, a subcommittee member, said the idea is to provide for groups that benefit the county, are not for profit, and to avoid three weeks worth of arguments every year deciding the awards.
Councillor Lou Maieron said he applauds the work the committee had done. He offered two suggestions. First, that all students from Wellington, no matter where they go to school, be eligible, and to cap the awards at ten per year.
He said there should be criteria to help decide which students get financial help, suggesting those studying in areas of health get top priority.
Green, however, said one place he knows of did that for seven years and did not attract a single graduate back to the community.
Council then accepted that report.
