Utility costs will apply to the food bank in Erin.
On June 6 council here reviewed correspondence from Mark Bouwmeester, president of East Wellington Community Services (EWCS), who said he thought the inclusion of the food bank in the town’s $662,000 grant application for the Centre 2000 arena expansion “was absolutely integral to its approval.”
In May, Erin councillors discussed having the food bank start paying its utility costs. Those fees were waived for the first year, but the town has now determined what the fee should be: $350 a month or $4,200 per year.
Bouwmeester said had the board known the utility rates earlier, “EWCS would have most definitely applied to council for an equivalent donation increase for this year.”
He added, “We appreciate the fact that the town’s budget is already set, but so is ours and the suggested $4,200 is an extremely large, un-budgetted hit for a charity like ours to take after the fact.”
The board felt it would be inappropriate to approach Guelph-Eramosa Township to help cover those operating costs.
“In the meantime, we would respectfully ask you to reconsider suspending the current $350 a month hydro billings for EWCS until we come to a mutual understanding how to proceed,” said Bouwmeester.
He added the board would prefer to set up a meeting with town representatives “rather than having to react to what we read in the local Newspapers.”
He suggested that for the town, the cost is “an extremely small price to pay to ensure that a food bank like this can exist in any community, regardless of who helps pay for it.”
Mayor Lou Maieron said he told the group about a $2,000 grant available through Wellington County for food banks. He said EWCS did not apply for the grant last year, nor this year. Meanwhile, the Centre Wellington Food Bank received $2,000 both years.
“I can’t do much more than say go pick the plum off the tree,” he said of the grant.
Maieron said last year the town covered hydro costs, but the food bank is a joint facility with Guelph-Eramosa, and food is distributed from the Erin location to the Rockwood site. He added there might be some culpability on Erin’s part for not letting the group know earlier it would be charged hydro costs this year.
Councillor Josie Wintersinger asked why EWCS feels it is inappropriate to ask Guelph-Eramosa for additional support.
Councillor Barb Tocher suggested council simply file the letter.
Councillor John Brennan said council did have a meeting with EWCS.
“We sat down here a couple of times and clearly said we expected them to pick up the cost of the utilities,” said Brennan.
The EWCS objected then.
Brennan agreed council “may have dropped the ball by not actively enforcing that expectation.” He said if council’s expectation was not passed on from the previous EWCS hierarchy to the current one, “That is their problem – not ours.”
Tocher said the requirement to pay utilities is part of the food bank’s lease agreement.
“I don’t know why they are trying to evade this,” Wintersinger said.
“If this is in their rental agreement, then as far as I am concerned, they owe it.”
Brennan said when Erin spoke with Guelph-Eramosa council last year, the objection raised was to capital costs.
“They were quite agreeable to help with operating costs.”
Council agreed to forgive the utilities the initial year as the town was determining the cost of an average monthly billing; however for 2012 the costs would apply.
Brennan noted there may be adjustments following an energy audit of Centre 2000.
Councillor Deb Callaghan asked about the request that the town waive the utility fees or increase its grant to cover the cost.
Councillors agreed EWCS should pay the utility costs as required by its lease agreement.
