LAC LA BICHE - Looking for efficiencies and a better way to "tighten down a little bit this year," Lac La Biche County Coun. Sterling Johnson was one of some elected officials last week questioning funding requests from regional groups applying for a share of $175,000 in municipal grant dollars this year. The efficiencies added up to about $18,000.
"There has to be some efficiencies... I"m looking for efficiencies. Everyone wants to tighten down a little it this year," said Johnson after hearing an administrative report detailing four requests for a portion of the available grant funding.
The Lakeland Out of the Elements Shelter was looking for $60,000, an additional $52,587 request came from Community Learning, $58,184 was requested from the Lac La Biche Canadian Native Friendship Centre and $22,160 was the ask from Hope Haven Women's Shelter. The total ask was $17,931 more than the $175,000 previously budgeted into the fund. The recommendation from the municipal administration was to reduce each request slightly to keep the total ask within the $175,000 — but the final decision was council's.
Before voting, Johnson questioned the Lakeland Out of the Elements Shelter funding request, since the agency was partnering with the Métis Nation and the municipality on a current homeless project that also including funding avenues.
He also questioned whether the Community Learning group couldn't partner with Portage College or other agencies to find ways to cut costs for a food preparation project they have undertaken.
He said that with the Métis Nation office helping to coordinate at least 20 people now staying at a homeless camp in the Bonesville subdivision that some of the "workload" of the Lakeland Out of the Elements Shelter had been lifted.
Councillor Darlene Beniuk said she felt it was a duplication of services, and also pointed out that the society behind the shelter did have in excess of $100,000 of funding already available to them.
Both councillors, however, were corrected by administration, who said the shelter had an operating expenditure of $200,000 a year and the funding was designated for certain expenses. The County's Grants and Community Funding Coordinator Carl Kurppa also said that amount of reserve funding for a society is not unusual, likening it to the accounts of recreation halls and societies across the municipality.
Shelter at capacity
Councillor Lorin Tkachuk also pointed out that while both the Métis Nation office and the Lakeland Out of the Elements society are sharing duties with the homeless camp, the shelter is still operating its own facility with people who were not part of the homeless camp situation.
"They are still running at full capacity. The people that are utilizing the MNA shelters right now, those are people that were staying in tents before, not at the (Lakeland) shelter," he explained before making a motion to pay the amounts as requested, and finding the additional $17,931 from the municipal surplus.
That request was defeated by the majority of council, however, and a second motion to pay reduced funding amounts as suggested by administration was approved.
"I don't know why we have a habit of offering more than ... is recommended," said Mayor Paul Reutov, who suggested the second motion.
The funding approval gave $45,000 to Community Learning, $55,407 to the Lakeland Out of the Elements Shelter, $52,433 to the friendship centre and $22,160 to Hope Haven — totalling $175,000.
