milton community fund

Community Fund News Update

Mike Cluett

Almost a year ago, Ward 5 Councillor Arnold Huffman had asked the Community Services Advisory Committee (CSAC) to review possible changes to the Milton Community Fund to allow for a special category to be set up specifically for Milton based service groups like the Optimist Club, Rotary Club and Royal Canadian Legion to name a few.

This option was reviewed by the CSAC members (of which both Arnold and I are council representatives for) and the report was returned to council with the recommendation that it not move forward.  Before the report from CSAC could be voted on by council, a motion to defer and send it back was moved and passed.  This allowed CSAC to review it again along with additional feedback from area service groups with the result being the same.

This means the $100,000 will be put back into the Community Fund for 2012.  This amount for the last few years had been allocated to fund the construction of the Milton Centre for the Arts and once that was completed, it was to be directed back into available funds for allocations by CSAC.  During the 2011 budget process, Arnold made the motion to have CSAC review the special allocation in the fund for service clubs and over a year later the matter has been resolved.

The 2011 Community Fund allocations this past year actually ran out as there were so many qualified applicants.  As Milton grows and if the Community Fund is to be successful we need to make sure that there is enough money in the fund for future needs.  Funding for the CF comes from the slot revenues from OLG and not from your tax bill.  With the CSAC motion approved by Milton Council, the $100,000 will be available for all members of the community through the fund.  When the 2012 guidelines have been approved by council later this month, I will post a link so people can apply if needed.

Here is a brief history of the Community Fund.

For some background information you can check out Champion coverage here.  Also, here is a report from the Milton Canadian Champion.

Service groups denied – Council votes against matching program from Milton’s Community Fund

Councillors have voted not to allocate $100,000 from Milton’s Community Fund specifically to service groups.

Without discussion on Monday night, council approved a staff report that recommended against a new matching program to help service clubs fund Milton-based projects.

Ward 5 Councillor Arnold Huffman asked staff to investigate the feasibility of the program in early 2011. At the time, he said the matching program would help fundraising initiatives for new projects and possibly increase membership levels. Huffman was absent from Monday’s meeting.

Twice, the Community Services Advisory Committee (CSAC) — the committee that reviews the community fund allocations — voted against the matching program. One of the meetings took place in late January and members of Milton Council were not permitted to attend as to not influence other CSAC members.

Close to $290,000 from the 2011 Milton Community fund was distributed to individuals and groups in town.

The 2012 program will see $350,000 distributed.

Priorities

Mike Cluett

Over the last few weeks I have talked about the importance of our hospital.  As Milton’s population grows, every level of government needs to make funding our healthcare system a priority.  The economy has been on the front burner now for the last year or so which has put the issue further from Canadians minds.

So far it looks like the province of Ontario will continue to ignore Haltons needs, the Region is doing what it can to pressure other levels of government for funding and now we can include the Town of Milton. 

Every year the Town of Milton uses revenues from the Mohawk Racetrack and they allocate that money through whats known as the Milton Community Fund.  With the election of this new council back in 2006, the Milton Community Fund has been slashed by $ 150,000 and there are a number of organizations left without funding.  Add Milton District Hospital to that list.

Click here for the article in the Champion.

The hospital you say?  Indeed one would think that if the Milton District Hospital applied for funding that, if reasonable, it would be granted.  Nope.  They were denied their funding because they failed to prioritize the equipment.

While the Town seems to be pushing forward its proposal for a FORTY million dollar arts and entertainment centre, which the Town has allocated $100,000 per year from the fund for the centre, is pushing aside the needs of our hospital.  The hospital applied for a $93.000 grant and it was denied.

Where are their priorities?  Arts and Entertainment Centre or the health care system of the town.  While $93,000 isnt a lot of money and the funds were for surgical products and diagnostic tools it shows that the priorities of town council have changed in the last election.

We are facing the toughest economic times due to a global recession.  Jobs are being lost almost daily in all industries.  Citigroup cut 52,000 jobs worldwide in a day; CanWest cut thousands of jobs early in November with CTV and other media groups following suit; not to mention the auto industry which has been hemeraging cash and jobs for the last year. 

Given these facts, everything on the table has to be considered for cuts in order to minimize the financial impact on taxpayers.  In my current position with HSBC Finance, I see on a daily basis more and more people who are dealing with increasing debt loads and its coupled with dwindling real estate values on their homes.  Banks are getting more and more stingy with credit and people are living off their lines of credit.  If governments continue with higher and higher property taxes and continuous spending of much needed reserve funds, it will just add to the problem.

Do we need further transit funding in 2009?  Probably not.  The town has spent MILLIONS of dollars on new buses to drive around town empty (unless its a FREE FARE program) and until they can figure out how to get someone at Main Street and James Snow Parkway to Thompson and Derry Road in less than 1 hour, there will be no further need for buses.  Members of council who have pushed all this funding for a transit system that isnt being utilized properly need to realize the issues and until they are resolved, a hold on funding should be in place.  In the 2009 budget there is close to $500,000 for transit.  That can be allocated to other more essential services the town provides OR can it go towards reducing the proposed rate increase for the year?

What about this arts and entertainment centre or for that matter the second half of the Milton Sports Centre?  There are some other projects that the Town should consider putting on hold or cancelling for that matter until the Town is back in a solid financial position.

Dont get me wrong.  I do support these iniatives and it will bring needed jobs to the region but NOW is the time to get the financial house in order and consider the impact of these decisions on the taxpayers of Milton.  We need to look at the impact on the taxpayer who will be under seige from all levels of government.  Council doesnt see the big picture and it seems to have their priorities in the wrong place.

December 8th will be a big day.  Let your councillors know what you think.