Airdrie City council approved funding for a number of community programs and organizations through the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and Community Investment Fund (CIF) for 2016 at its regular meeting Oct. 19.
FCSS funding totaling $1,062,069 will be awarded to preventative social programs such as the Family Resource Program at North Rocky View Community Links and the Youth Program and Outreach at the Boys and Girls of Airdrie.
Council also approved deferring a total of $391,579 in additional FCSS funding, received in 2015 after the provincial government announced a funding adjustment for the program on Sept. 18, to 2016.
“I’m thrilled that the government has recognized that we have short-changed much of the work being done by these agencies in our communities for way too many years,” Mayor Peter Brown said.
“They’re going to get all the funding that they need. I know we’ve been working hard on advocating (for increased FCSS funding). It’s been far too long a wait to see these dollars.”
Alderman Kelly Hegg agreed and said this was the first year in a long time “we haven’t had to make hard choices. Kudos to the provincial government for providing that funding.”
Municipalities are required to match 20 per cent of all FCSS funding, according to Clay Aragon, City of Airdrie team leader of Community Development and Social Planning. However, the Province has waived that compulsory contribution for 2015. The matching contribution will be required for new funds in 2016 but not for any funds carried over from 2015 to 2016.
Since taking power in May, the NDP has restored $39 million in proposed cuts from the previous Progressive Conservative government with $10 million of that allocated to FCSS funding.
In Airdrie, this meant an injection of $391,578 for 2015, the first increase to FCSS funding by the Province in six years, according to Aragon.
Aragon said he expects the additional FCSS funds will be released after the Provincial budget was tabled by the NDP government Oct. 27. The funding Airdrie will ultimately receive is not final until the budget is tabled.
“The way the Province is doing it, because of their fiscal year, is they’re giving us three quarters of that (amount) this year, and then a quarter of that amount next year,” Aragon said.
Community Investment
Council unanimously approved up to $47,116 in Community Investment Fund (CIF) funding in 2016 for a variety of cultural and community groups and events at the meeting. According to Aragon, this is an 11 per cent increase from 2015.
CIF funding is provided by the City of Airdrie and is intended to support Airdrie’s recreational, cultural and arts not-for-profit groups.
“The focus of the CIF is to really create capacity in not-for-profit groups, to create a sense of identity in the community through festivals and events that celebrate what makes us different as a community,” Aragon said.
Groups receiving funding in 2016 include the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie for their AIRSCARES haunted attraction, the Nose Creek Players for their theatre season and the Airdrie Performing Arts Rotary Music Festival.
