The municipality doled out $12,500 in funding through its community and economic development fund to support three local organizations in town, June 21.
The Jasper Curling Club received a $3,000 grant, the Jasper Heritage Folk and Blues Society received a $4,750 grant, as did the Jasper Heritage Rodeo Association.
With eight applications to choose from, council took a considerable amount of time to discuss each of the applications before whittling it down to three.
Coun. Gilbert Wall voted against supporting the folk fest and the rodeo, arguing both applicants have become too reliant on the municipality to fund their events.
鈥淭he stated goal of the economic development fund is not an ongoing support mechanism,鈥� said Wall, 鈥淭his fund is not designed as an ongoing line item in their budgets and that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 become.鈥�
Coun. Vonna Arsenault also voted against providing the rodeo association with grant money citing similar reasons. Both organizations had asked for $5,000 in funding.
Last year council decided to combine the municipality鈥檚 two grant funds鈥搕he Economic Development Fund and the Community Development Fund鈥搃nto one fund called the Community and Economic Development Fund to streamline the grant process.
The purpose of the fund is to provide funding opportunities to non-profit groups or individuals that will improve the quality of life of Jasper residents, assist in community economic enhancement, promote the Municipality of Jasper and encourage community support of council鈥檚 strategic priorities.
The maximum request is $5,000 per application and applicants are only allowed to apply for the grant for two consecutive years before they become ineligible for the next two years.
The idea is that by having a two-year cap it will encourage organizations to look for funding elsewhere鈥揳lthough during a council meeting on June 21 it wasn鈥檛 clear if the new rule would be grandfathered in or start this year.
According to the application, funding may only be used for capital projects or operating initiatives as long as they are not core services funded by the organization鈥檚 budget.
As well as combining the two funds, applicants must now complete a checklist, showing that the application is complete. That checklist, along with the application, is then checked by administration before it reaches council for discussion and decision.
Despite this, council still opted to reject four applications for failing to meet certain criteria established in the application process.
For example Habitat for the Arts asked for $1,480, but sent in the application late.
鈥淚 think that through the whole process regardless of what the intention was of the group, if you鈥檙e late for a submission, I think you鈥檙e late,鈥� said Coun. Rico Damota.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the most appropriate thing to do, it makes it fair for everybody else who got their鈥檚 in on time.鈥�
Other groups such as the Jasper Ski Club, which asked for $5,000, did not meet the criteria because it asked for money to pay for its coaches鈥� wages, expenses and entry fees, considered part of the club鈥檚 core funding.
In total the municipality received eight applications seeking nearly $27,000.
Twenty-five thousand dollars in funding is available through the fund each year, which is split evenly into two separate application periods. A maximum of $12,500 is available for the March 31 application period, and $12,500 for the September 30 application period.
During a committee-of-the-whole meeting, June 28, council asked administration to review the fund to make it easier for applicants to apply in the future.
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
