Council has approved $25,999 for six grant-in-aid applications coming from the city and the Cariboo Regional District, but is also asking the Joint Committee responsible for awarding the grants to reconsider an application from the Blue Fins swim club that was denied.
“When the Blue Fins item came up there was a vote on it. There were four council members at the meeting and only two CRD reps. Council voted in favour of providing this funding, but one of the CRD reps voted against. What we didn’t catch in the meeting is when one of them votes for and one of them votes against and there are only two, it doesn’t carry,” Geoff Godall, acting chief administrative officer explained at council’s regular meeting Dec. 4.
Council members left the meeting thinking the application had been approved, Goodall added.
Successful applications include Canadian Mental Health $1,000, Williams Lake Saturday Market Association $333, Cariboo Direct Farm Market Association $367, Williams Lake Central Business Improvement Association $8,000 and Royal Canadian Legion $16,299.
Councillor Surinderpal Rathor said while only six organizations received funds, there were more that applied.
“This is not to say that those organizations were not worthy. Every organization that applied is worthy, but unfortunately the applications that fit the policy for grants-in-aid were successful,” Rathor added.
Councillor Geoff Bourdon said successful applications were “in sync” with the guidelines for receiving seed funding. “The seed funding will decline over three years because the intent of the funding is to help events become self-sufficient.”
