ABERFOYLE – Puslinch councillors have voiced regret about their decision to reduce the budgeted amount for 2024 community grants.
The comments were made while council was going over the list of applications on Dec. 13.
The township has half as much to give out next year – and more organizations applying.
“I regret we cut that back” last year, said councillor Jessica Goyda.
Last year at budget time, council voted to reduce the ceiling on community grants from $24,000 to $12,115 as a way to reduce the levy.
With a total $37,740 in requests from 10 organizations for 2024, Goyda said in a small, rural community like Puslinch, community organizations offer the things that Puslinch residents care about.
“If there’s room to gradually increase the ceiling, I would support that,” she added.
The list of applicants for community grants includes:
- Aberfoyle Agricultural Society, which requested $3,000;
- Aberfoyle Farmers’ Market Association Inc. with a $3,000 ask;
- Crieff Hills Retreat Centre, $2,740;
- Ellis Chapel, $500;
- Friends of Mill Creek, $3,000;
- Optimist Club of Puslinch, $3,000;
- Puslinch Minor Soccer, $3,000;
- Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre, $18,500; and
- Whistle Stop Cooperative Preschool Inc., $1,000.
Ann Caine, founder of Sunrise, delegated to council at the beginning of the meeting.
“I know we asked for a large amount of money,” she said.
Sunrise’s application outlined the need for a new furnace, an automatic pool vacuum, tools for repairs and maintenance, and seeds to plant in the spring.
Caine said the furnace has since been replaced so that’s off the list. And she thinks the centre could probably get seeds donated.
“If I had to choose, it would be the pool vacuum and tools,” she said.
Sunrise is planning to construct a residential development on its site to house adults with special needs and the organization has approached council for special consideration in the past as well.
In its “Answers to Council Questions” report, staff outlined that in May of 2022, council voted to waive the parkland dedication fees for that development, saving Sunrise approximately $70,000 from its construction budget.
The township also worked to reduce the security deposit necessary for the site plan agreement, from $205,000 to $144,000.
As well, council voted to let Sunrise keep the interest earned on the securities, expected to average $628 a month.
So when council came to discuss the list, councillors agreed Sunrise had already benefitted from their largesse and reduced the community grant to $3,000.
In a similar way, Puslinch Minor Soccer has already reaped some township benefits.
The township waived all rental fees at the Puslinch Community Centre soccer fields in 2023 and allowed the club to utilize other green spaces at no cost while the park was under construction. The township also picked up the $42,000 tab to re-sod the fields.
Given that two of the three items the club wished to purchase were ineligible for the grant, council decided not to grant any funds to minor soccer this round.
“It’s a valued organization and I think the township has demonstrated that we value it already,” Goyda said. “Other organizations haven’t had the same kind of support.”
The Whistle Stop Cooperative Pre-School Inc. came close to receiving no funds because it missed the application deadline.
But after some discussion – including the fact the pre-school doesn’t start up until September which is a month after the grant application deadline – council decided to extend the deadline to the last business day in September.
“But they can’t be late again or they won’t get anything,” Mayor James Seeley said.
Friends of Mill Creek was almost out of luck as well, until Goyda pointed out the organization lost funding from Cambridge and Wellington County and that’s leaving the group in a precarious financial position.
She proposed reducing the grant amount for the Aberfoyle Farmers’ Market to $2,000, as its financial outlook is already healthy, while not receiving the Puslinch grant could mean the end to the Friends of Mill Creek’s junior ranger program.
In the end, council decided to grant the full amounts of all the requests except:
- Puslinch Minor Soccer, which gets zero;
- Sunrise, which gets $3,000;
- Aberfoyle Farmer’s Market, which gets $2,000; and
- Crieff Hill Retreat will receive $1,370, half of what it requested.
That brings the total amount of grants to $16,870, which is more than the $12,000 ceiling instituted last year and adds approximately $4,000 to the levy.
There will be more discussion on the budget before it is approved, which typically happens in February.
A public meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 17 at 7pm, at which staff will present the budget and members of the public can ask questions or comment.
