RCMP Reserve Fund and Middleton Way Grant to be debated Monday at 8:40 AM

Agenda Package - 795Kb (COW MEETING) P.25 -26
2007 YEAR END CARRYOVERS (P. 25) B. Memo dated April 8, 2008, from Mr. Kevin Bertles, Manager, Finance, re: 2007 Year End Carryovers.

In this April 8 memo the Manager of Finance details what he believes to be the present policy with regards to the RCMP Reserve. He suggests that the Council add an ongoing treatment of this particular Reserve to the draft "Interim Reserve Policy" which Council is already in the process of crafting. He states in his last paragraph: "There was no transfer made to the RCMP reserve in 2007 for either the fine revenue or the policing surplus. He goes on to state that if Council wishes to reinstate the $787,483 to the Police Reserve then they must make a corresponding reduction in the Casino reserve to offset the additional expenditures for Middleton Way.

Nothing about a transfer back from the Affordable Housing Reserve is mentioned in this memo or the afternoon's memo "April 17 Summary and responses to the public input session" which can be found at Agenda Package - 9.93MB P.203-204" This summary is in response to the public input that can be found in the same agenda package at pages 34-39.
In that input I argued that the $310,000 that was taken from the RCMP reserve and transferred to the Affordable Housing fund when it was set up should be returned as part of rationalizing the Reserve Policy as was part of the original debate when money was transferred.
Hopefully this will be addressed at the COW debate on Monday morning.
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In the COW memo on page 26 'Middleton Way funding source' is the sentence
" in proceeding with the project prior to an announcement concerning grant funding, the City eliminated the possibility of obtaining grant funds for a project already under construction."
In the response to public input memo on Page 204 is the sentence: "As such the City abandoned grant funding possibilities by commencing the project prior to a funding announcement"

The Grants Status Report confirms that there was a $631,568 grant application put in Jan 24/07 under the MRIF program.
The Middleton project was declassified May 14 from a Dark Side (in-camera) meeting and passed by a 6 to 1 Vote.
No doubt at the Dark Side debate the Council was informed of the status of the Grant and the possible ramifications if it proceeded before the Grant was approved. There is no indication that any such discussion took place at the declassification meeting.
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These are the debates that will occur at the COW meeting at 8:40. Hopefully the RCMP reserve will be restated to its correct levels and a binding resolution on its future treatment reinstated.

I will have a separate posting on the 2.04% tax increase that will occur at the afternoon session of council.