After some debate on Monday night, Guelph-Eramosa council decided to proceed with 13 donations to various groups, totalling $29,600.
The donations include:
– $100 each to the Aberfoyle Agricultural Society, Acton Fall Fair, Erin Fall Fair and Fergus Agricultural Society;
– $200 to the Kiwanis Music Festival;
– $400 to Woodlawn cemetery;
– $500 each to the Rockwood and District Lions Club, the Guelph Township Horticultural Society and Wellington Farm and Home Safety;
– $2,000 to the Guelph Rotary forest;
– $10,100 to East Wellington Community Services; and
– $15,000 to the Upper Grand District School Board “bus partnership fund.”
Councillor Roger Knapp said the list appeared “weird” because it did not include any youth organizations, such as scouts or 4-H, from within the township.
Councillor Reta Moyer then suggested the township annually set up a fund for such groups.
When Mayor Chris White replied that is a different matter that could be discussed at another time, Moyer disagreed and said council should also reconsider some of the donations currently on the list, noting “historical” support is not an adequate argument for carrying on with funding.
She particularly wanted a separate vote on the $400 for Woodlawn Cemetery and the $100 donations to the four fall fairs.
Council approved the Woodlawn donation by a 3-2 vote, with Moyer and Knapp opposed and White and councillors Doug Breen and John?Scott in favour.
When Moyer asked for justification for the donation, White said two township residents sit on the Woodlawn board and the cemetery is very important to the people of old Guelph Township, many of whom have loved ones buried at the cemetery.
When the fall fair support came up, Breen said the fairs are “a big deal” to rural residents of the township. At $100 each, the donation is basically “symbolic support,” he added.
“I think we need to continue to support these fairs,” Breen said. “It’s still important to me.”
White noted the township has in the past supported the fairs because there is no fair in Guelph-Eramosa, so township residents regularly travel to others in the county.
Knapp agreed, saying there is not a lot of support for agriculture anymore, and $100 is not a large amount.
Council voted 3-0 to approve the fall fair donations, with Moyer abstaining from the vote.
The township had budgeted $32,000 for donations this year, leaving a balance of $2,400. Council also discussed a $750 request from the Volunteer Centre of Guelph-Wellington, but decided they required more information before approving that donation.
