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qathet Regional District (qRD) directors are willing to allocate $240,000 for City of Powell River's recreational services but only after a face-to-face meeting with city councillors.
At the March 11 finance committee, directors considered a motion to recommend that the regional board direct staff to contribute $238,244 in 2025 from Electoral Areas A, B and C of the subregional recreation service to the city.
Electoral Area E director and finance committee chair Andrew Fall said there was a staff recommendation for the allocation and asked for the will of the assembly.
Electoral Area C director and board chair Clay Brander made a motion for the recommendation.
“We’ve discussed this quite a bit,” said Brander. “This initiative has been supported strongly by the voters of Areas A, B and C. The number staff has come up with falls in line with old agreements, so I see it as a gesture of good will toward the city, with the hopes we can work out a proper agreement in the coming months.
“This gives them some surety when they are finalizing their budget.”
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said in the financial plan, under expenses, listed is a line item for $233,000 as a potential contribution to the city for recreational services. He said the motion before the committee was $238,000, which means unless the financial plan is adjusted, the motion was intentionally going over budget.
“It is appropriate that we adjust the financial plan before we decide to make a financial contribution to the municipality,” said Gisborne, adding that in 2018 a referendum was held in Electoral Areas A, B and C to provide financial contributions for operation of city recreational services.
Gisborne said after the service was established, qRD entered into a negotiated funding agreement starting in January 2019, with an expiration date of December 31, 2023.
“It was stipulated that extending the agreement would need to be done six months prior to its expiration date, which would have been June 2023,” he added.
The agreement, however, was not renewed.
The value of the agreement in 2018 was $177,000 and that was the number used in the agreement and quoted in the referendum, according to Gisborne.
“I believe everyone involved wants the electoral areas to participate and contribute an equitable and fair amount to the recreation centre,” he said. “The problem is, without any agreement, there seems to be significant controversy over what is fair and equitable.”
Gisborne said he believes the municipality needs to come to the table and have a conversation over recreation, come to an agreement, and sign another five-year agreement.
City director Cindy Elliott said from the city’s perspective, it is important to know that there is a commitment to contribute. She said the difficulty is: when does the regional district intend to do that?
“Putting an amount forward that we intend to contribute would be good for clarity for all sides this year, and if we accept that we probably won’t land on another long-term agreement, at least in the short-term, and we make decisions accordingly in good faith, that’s the best we can do,” said Elliott.
Gisborne moved an amendment to change the contribution to the city to $240,000, which carried unanimously.
Elliott then brought up a motion that the regional district postpone allocating the funds until the board meets with city council over regional recreation. qRD corporate officer Michelle Jones said there will be a motion on the March 26 regional board agenda to request a meeting with city officials.
The committee unanimously voted to direct the regional board to postpone the allocation of funds until after the two governments meet.
The committee then voted unanimously to round up the intended contribution to the city to $240,000 and put the money in the 2025 to 2029 five-year financial plan.
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