City of Powell River Council will consider allocating more funds than planned for Powell River Community Forest’s contribution to nonprofit organizations.
At the February 27 special city council meeting, councillors were presented with an extensive list of recommendations to make downward adjustments to a proposed 11.4 city tax increase. Councillors reviewed the recommendations item by item, including reducing community forest grants to 10 per cent of a three-year rolling average of the community forest’s yearly dividends. The motion was supported by a four in favour to three opposed margin.
At the March 18 city’s committee of the whole meeting, a motion was brought to the table by councillor George Doubt to revert back to the same process as was used in 2023 and 2022, where the community forest split commonly averaged a 60 per cent allocation to the city, and 40 per cent to community nonprofits.
Doubt said he appreciates the contributions made by the community forest board and the work they have done over the years of its existence, providing benefits to the community and city projects as well.
“I want to see that the nonprofits in the community are maintained the way they are,” said Doubt. “What is done by the nonprofits with the community forest grants in this community makes the community what it is and makes it different than other communities. It makes it possible to have things that other communities just don’t have.
“This motion would put in force a program where we have the city’s working group on the community forest, the community forest board, and council, all working together to come to an agreement that works for the entire city and everyone in it. We can do that over the next period of time. We don’t have to reduce the contribution this year as other motions might indicate we would do.”
Doubt said there is time to work with the community forest board and with the community to get it right.
“I hope council will support it [his motion],” said Doubt.
Councillor Cindy Elliott said the motion needed to be referred to the March 20 city council meeting where councillors will be having discussions on the 2025 to 2029 five-year financial plan, because the committee of the whole could not decide to alter the budget.
Interim corporate officer Stephen Fleming said council has the opportunity to add whatever motions it wants to add at the March 20 meeting with respect to changing and debating the implications of those changes.
“It would be helpful for staff to have an idea of where council is heading so we can have answers for you on Thursday,” added Fleming.
Doubt said his intention was to have an open and clear discussion about the priorities of the city for the community forest money, and the priorities of the people in the city, while respecting the priorities of the community forest board, whose contributions he deeply respects.
“My suggestion is what we should vote on at the end of this discussion is referring this motion to the meeting on Thursday,” said Doubt. “The final decision is made at a council meeting. I don’t want to have a battle of procedures and rules of order. What I’d like to have is a discussion about the use of the community forest funds.”
The committee voted to move Doubt’s motion to the March 20 city council meeting. The committee adopted the motion unanimously.
Councillor Trina Isakson then made a motion for the committee to direct staff to prepare budget implications of Doubt’s motion for the March 20 budget discussions.
Councillor and committee chair Jim Palm said councillors are still talking about a budget and the five-year financial plan, and those discussions are going to happen on March 20, plus on March 27. He said it is going to be difficult for staff to come up with concrete numbers.
Isakson’s motion, however, carried unanimously.
On the agenda for the March 20 city council meeting are the first three readings of the 2025 five-year financial plan, where the community forest allocation will be among the topics that council will be considering.
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