Coming Up: June 29
Council meets on Tuesday. We’ll be meeting over video conference. On the agenda:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Hospital Foundation Road Naming
Economic Recovery Fund
Community Group funding
Mental Health & Policing
Following is more information and my take on agenda items.
As always, any mistakes or opinions belong to me and me alone, not to Council or City staff.
While I express my current views below, I work hard to go into meetings ready to listen and with an open mind. I learn new information and participate in debate. This always informs, and sometimes changes, how I vote on issues.
If you would like to watch the meeting or read any of its supporting material for yourself, you can do so by clicking here. The City will post the highlights of Council’s decisions here.
DELEGATION: MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING (MADD)
During all Council meetings, members of the public are welcome to come address Council. More information about how to do that can be found here.
This week, a delegation from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is planning to speak to Council. They are seeking permission to display a crashed car with impaired driving messaging on it throughout the City.
Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation: Hospital Road Naming Rights
The Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation is working to adapt its fundraising efforts to the realities of COVID-19.
One of its major fundraisers every year is auctions during the Festival of Trees. The biggest auction packages typically involve travel. The Foundation is looking local options to replace these packages.
Council will be considering a request by the Foundation to let it auction off road naming rights. On an annual basis, bidders would have the opportunity to have the roads leading into both hospitals named after them. This naming would be honorary: it would involved signs being mounted alongside the regular road signs, but would not include a change to the legal road designation. To ensure appropriateness, all names would have to be approved by both Alberta Health Services and City administration.
I intend to support this request. It is a creative and low cost way for the City to support quality care in our hospitals.
COVID Economic Recovery Fund
Council has set aside a little over $1.2 million into a COVID Economic Recovery Fund. This money will be used to support local businesses and organisations. It will be over and above increased capital spending Council has already approved to put money into our local economy.
On Monday, Council will be discussing a request to its Economic Development Strategic Planning & Advisory Committee. This is a Committee made up of mostly public members. It has been suggested that Council ask this Committee to bring forward program proposals to allocate up to $1 million of COVID Recovery Funding.
I intend to support this request. Ultimately, Council will be deciding whether or not to approve programs. But it makes sense to ask for outside, expert help to shape those programs.
Community Group Funding
Council has been discussing changes to Community Group Funding. You can see more information and context here.
On Monday, Council will be voting on a number of specific recommendations. They include:
Changing the Community Improvement Grant to limit groups to receiving a maximum of $7,500/year
Reducing the Community Improvement Grant budget to $25,000
Redirecting a number of groups which typically receive direct funding from Council to apply for Arts Development Funding, which is administered by the Arts Development Committee. Increase Arts Development Funding by $35,000 in recognition that more groups will be applying for it.
Allow groups that received 2020 funding for projects that were suspended due to COVID-19 to carry over their funding to 2021.
I will likely support most of these recommendations. However, I’m unlikely to support the reduction of the Community Improvement Grant.
This is a grant given to Neighbourhood Associations and other organisations which are improving parks and other public spaces. In a typical year, ~$35,000 is given out. So this recommendation would make for a reduction of ~$10,000.
By using volunteers and soliciting donations, groups accessing this grant improve community spaces at a WAY lower cost to taxpayers than the City ever can. If Council wants to reduce the money spent on public spaces: fair enough. But then it should do so by reducing our own staff driven Parks budget, not by reducing the support given to volunteers. This is a recommendation which is truly penny wise, pound foolish.
Mental Health & Policing
On Monday, I’ll be submitting a Notice of Motion. This will allow me to make a series of motions at our next Regular Council Meeting.
The intent of these motions: over the coming years, we’ve budgeted for huge increases to our police funding. I want to initiate a process of Council discussing whether these increases are good investments, or whether we would be getting better community safety outcomes by investing in mental health and other community supports.
That’s what is on our agenda for Monday. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
You can comment below. Or, you can contact me at dbressey@cityofgp.com or 780-402-4166. I'm happy to talk online or over the phone. I'm also always willing to setup a time to meet for coffee.
We also always have great conversation in the GP Round Table group on Facebook.
After Council meeting, you will be able to find highlights posted by the City here.
Thanks for reading!
-Dylan