Two groups make last minute pitch to Neepawa Council
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, May 3, 2016
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Press/Neepawa Banner
A pair of local organizations are making a last minute plea to Neepawa Town Council to reconsider its stance on grant distribution. On Monday, April 25, Viscount Cultural Centre board chair Amanda Naughton-Gale and Neepawa Natives vice president Cam Tibbett were guests on News and Views, a long running current events program on NACTV.
The pair discussed the reduction in spending on grants to organizations in the 2016 financial plan. The VCC’s funding was cut from $10,000 to $5,000, while the Natives went from $5,000 to nothing.
Naughton-Gale said during the broadcast, that the loss of $5,000 would have a major impact on how the VCC handles even its most basic operations.
“To an organization [such as ours], whose operating budget is only $120,000, that type of reduction is a pretty significant amount to lose,” said Naughton-Gale. “For us, we’ve had to put projects on hold and really rethink how we operate even the bare necessities.”
Tibbett concurred with Naughton-Gale’s assessment, noting that for groups with such small margins, a loss of what the town may see as a small amount, can make a big difference.
“There are 11 teams in the [MJHL] and over half of them struggle year to year financially and in Neepawa, that [initial town support of] $10,000 was important.”
Naughton-Gale said the cost considerations for this grant support is actually very minuscule compared to what other municipalities set aside for similar programs.
“When you look at the amount that the Town of Neepawa’s budget is, [the allocation of grant support is] a drop in the bucket for them,” said Naughton-Gale. “And it’s organizations like the VCC, the Natives and Yellowhead Centre, just to name a few, that are actually doing the things, that in other communities, the municipality is doing themselves.”
Tibbett challenged the people to speak up, saying that we, as a community, would be losing more than we’re gaining if the hockey club or the VCC were lost.
“We used to have [events such as] the Lily Festival and all these things and they say the town is growing at a rate of ten per cent year over year. In the next five years we could be at around 6,500 people, but yet the town doesn’t see the culture or the recreation side of it. These are assets to the community and if you don’t have them, what do you have?”
Naughton-Gale concluded by saying there is still time for council to reconsider it’s grant distribution and hoped they’ll see the long term value these local groups provide.
“I really feel that the Town of Neepawa has really lost its vision in what a town is and what it means to be part of a community. Community organizations such as VCC, the Natives and others like the Holiday Festival of the Arts, which was shutout of the funding entirely, and other, smaller groups add value to a community. It’s what we do that creates value and improves the quality of life and if the Town of Neepawa is so shortsighted that investment should only be made into infrastructure and roads or sewer and water, they really are missing the mark,” stressed Naughton-Gale. “I think the town needs to think of us not as expenses, but as investments in the community.”
First reading of the financial plan has been passed, but second and third reading must occur before the budget is formally approved. Details on that meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, May 3, will appear in the next issue of the Neepawa Press.
