ST. PAUL – County of St. Paul council approved several funding requests from community organizations during the May 23 Public Works meeting.
One of the requests was a request from the Mann Lake Golf Course for operating costs.
“The contribution will allow us to continue offering reasonable fees,” reads a letter from the golf course owners, and it would also allow the business to continue offering children 10 and under the opportunity to golf for free under the supervision of an adult.
Kitz said the County has provided the golf course assistance with operating costs since 2008, and that the County’s previous contributions has only been for the municipal portion of taxes.
Coun. Dale Hedrick motioned to contribute $4,791.34. The motion was approved. The amount was about $1,000 less than what the golf course had requested.
Some smaller requests were also put forward, including the waiving of fees at municipally run campgrounds.
One request came from a Scout troop in Sherwood Park for camping for one night in the tenting area of the Floatingstone municipal campground at no charge. The request was approved.
Another request came from the St. Paul Alliance Church requesting council waive the $100 fee to use the gazebo at the Floatingstone municipal campground on July 30 for a baptism. That request was denied.
Due to the amount of “small ticket” items amounting to $100 or $200 each, Director of Community Services Jason Storch offered the idea that administration draft a policy to manage and take care of small ticket items, ensuring consistency.
CAO Sheila Kitz noted it takes a lot of time for administration to write up requests, regardless of the amount being requested.
If there is something council could agree on policy-wise, “then [administration] can just make the decision,” she said.
According to administration, the advantages of a policy include a faster turnaround between requests and decisions, more time for council to focus on bigger issues during meetings, and less time for staff to organize and prepare requests.
Coun. Ross Krekoski motioned to create a policy regarding the approval process for waiving fees at the County's municipal campgrounds. This policy would specifically apply to registered charities and local not-for-profit organizations who wish to use the campgrounds at no charge.
The drafted policy will come before council for final approval.
