Grant funding was a hot-button issue debated during the 2013 budget deliberations, specifically how much certain organizations around Cochrane should be given in the coming year.
“We need to knock $100,000 off this list,” said councillor Jeff Toews, referring to the total amount being requested for grants from the Town of Cochrane, which for 2013 amounts to $343,306, nearly $40,000 more than in the previous year’s budget.
Toews shined a light on the requests of many community organizations, including Cochrane Tourism, which is requesting $47,190 for 2013, the Rocky View Regional Handibus Society’s $84,384 request (up from the $60,000 they received last year) and Sustainable Partners Uniting Resources (SPUR), requesting $35,000.
Cochrane Tourism Association (CTA) president Cheryl Hardy said she was not surprised by the concern, as the total amount requested for grants is significant.
Hardy elaborated, however, that the CTA works hard to stretch their grant funding as far as they can.
“We are the virtual visitors’ centre,” she said, “which means that we are open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Our office is staffed by an amazing lady who does a huge job of trying to entice people to come to Cochrane to spend their money.
“If the town took on all of the work that the CTA does, the costs would be substantially higher.”
Toews said there was a need to encourage many of these organizations to become ‘self-sufficient,’ – a sentiment Hardy echoed with regards to her hopes for the CTA – in turn, enabling the town to save some money themselves. Both Toews and Coun. Joann Churchill applauded the request of the Cochrane Activettes, saying their $10,000 request – $3,500 less than in 2012 – indicated an understanding of the current fiscal requirements the town was attempting to adhere to.
Administration pointed out to Mayor Truper McBride and council during the grant discussion that there was no money being allocated to STARS Air Ambulance in this year’s budget. McBride responded by saying that STARS fell under the healthcare banner, and that he believed it was up to the province to financially support anything in that realm.
