East Wellington Community Services says the rent it pays for the space in Centre 2000 for the food bank is too high.
Kari Simpson, CEO of EWCS and Laurie Davis, president of the EWCS board addressed council on Aug. 8 about lowering the rent for the food bank as well as reviewing the grant process for the adult day programs.
“A few years back when we actually got the food bank, it was part of a grant that the town applied for,” said Simpson, explaining it was agreed that EWCS would pay $2 a year for the rent of the 750-square-foot space.
“The last administration decided to start charging us $500 (monthly) and it’s increasingly gone up each year,” she said.
Simpson later clarified EWCS now pays $560 plus HST per month.
“Those costs are really … getting increasingly difficult for us to meet.”
Simpson said EWCS also pays $350 plus HST monthly to the town to cover hydro costs. She explained the town installed Eyedro meters – electricity monitoring meters – to determine if the $350 was a reasonable amount to be paid.
“We still have not heard what those results were, and it was agreed that if the $350 was in excess, we would be paid back for that as well. that has not taken place either,” said Simpson.
Graham Smith, parks and recreation facilities manager, said the Eyedro meters were installed then removed and installed for a different room in the Centre 2000.
Ursula D’Angelo, director of finance, said staff can take a look at the agreement.
“I’m looking at the agreement, and right now we’re collecting $6,720 for rent for EWCS for the year and we’re also collecting about $4,200 for a total of $10,920 and annually we’re giving EWCS a $16,000 grant,” she said.
Simpson said however, that was for the adult day program, not the food bank, which is separate.
“We do not get any sort of community grant (from the town) for the food bank,” she said.
Councillor Matt Sammut said Wellington County should be providing more funding to the food bank.
“This really in my mind beckons a higher level question, and it’s funding in general for social programs,” he said.
“It is number one a county responsibility, it’s their biggest line item … I would hope that we make sure that we have enough coming Erin’s way.”
Sammut said council should ask county for more social assistance.
However, Mayor Allan Alls said there have been issues to work through.
“There’s been some issues in the past, and relationships that we’re trying to sort through, and I think Ms. Simpson knows what I’m talking about,” said Alls.
“We will continue to work with that.”
Simpson explained EWCS received $1,000 for the food bank from the county and nothing for the adult day program.
Davis said while the grant money and Eyedro meters were important, she wanted to focus on the larger issue of rent.
“(EWCS) were promised two dollars and you guys were given a grant with that in mind so that was in perpetuity, why that was changed and they were forced to sign something under duress, we don’t know,” she said.
“But if we look at it logically from a community perspective, it makes no sense that a food bank should be paying rent.”
CAO Nathan Hyde explained the food bank agreement expires in August 2018.
“I don’t know if we want to reopen the agreement at this time, but it will certainly be a decision for council down the road,” he said.
“I wasn’t around at the time that it was signed, obviously, I would suspect it wasn’t under duress, but I can’t speak to the $2. So we have this agreement here, ultimately down the road council can look to whether to reopen it early, or wait until it expires next year.”
Hyde suggested staff meet with EWCS to go over the agreement for budget considerations in the fall.
Davis said the issue with the adult day program is the timing of the grant.
“We’re supposed to be getting a grant to offset the full rent, but the timing, there’s an administration timing issue there,” she explained.
“The rent increases go at a time the year after we actually get the grant money. So at the end of the year, we’re out $1,500.
“We just need to go back and make sure the timing is done properly, so it does offset the way it’s supposed to.”
Simpson clarified EWCS pays nearly $17,800 per year for the space in Centre 2000. She said this will increase Sept. 1 to $18,300.
The township provides a $16,000 grant to EWCS for the adult day programs.
Hyde said this too should be discussed with staff.
