County council’s 2010 year-end statement should be a good one.
Social services committee chairman Gord Tosh told council the county would be receiving $1.5-million from the City of Guelph after the city lost an arbitration hearing over the billing for social services.
As well, Tosh said in an interview after the meeting, the province had provided an extra $300,000 for day care that county officials had not been expecting.
There was other good News.
The county received $100,000 from a construction company as part of an agreement for a gravel pit that goes back to the late 1980s.
Furthermore, roads committee chairman Rod Finnie said it appears last year’s mild winter meant the county did not use up its full winter control roads budget.
The variance projections were as of the end of September, leaving Wellington in relatively good financial shape.
The finance committee recommended the social services cash be allotted to a reserve fund, including the establishment of a land ambulance reserve.
That amount was estimated to be about $175,000.
The 2010 operating budget savings relating to the new cost apportionment formula for social housing, $12.5-million, was to be transferred to a social services reserve account.
The winter control extra cash was to be placed back into the winter control budget. Finnie said the weather had been very unpredictable over the past few years, so that was being prudent.
However, finance committee chairman Chris White noted apportioning the land ambulance costs is not going to be easy. Guelph has control over land ambulance and Erin has been attempting to obtain an ambulance for several years now.
Finnie said capital costs for ambulance should be considered jointly.
Councillor Lou Maieron said the ambulance issue has been ongoing for five years now.
He did congratulate Treasurer Craig Dyer because the surplus cash was going back to the areas from whence it came.
