Rocky View County councillors heard a presentation on the draft Community Recreation Funding Model, Dec. 20.
If approved, the model will see two separate funding streams for regional and district facilities along with the creation of a Regional Recreation Board. The Board will be made up of councillors during the first year with plans to include residents and stakeholders in the future.
A new funding model will help create consistency for County-funded, large regional facilities in Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere and Springbank.
“Administration feels the (current model) is not meeting the needs of the community,” said Rocky View’s Recreation Services Coordinator Dari Lang. “Administration believes this new model will support the needs of a growing municipality.”
Under the new model, district recreational funding, given to small facilities and community groups, will remain much the same, with organizations submitting grant applications to local recreation boards.
Regional facilities will receive an increase in funding, which will remain consistent year after year.
The four facilities, including the Springbank Park for All Seasons, the Spray Lakes Sawmills Family Sports Centre in Cochrane, the Chestermere Regional Recreation Facility and Airdrie’s Genesis Place, will be required to complete a standardized application form and will be able to keep any unused operating funds to put towards capital funding.
The facilities will still be able to apply for capital funding in the spring and fall, but will have to cover any projects costing $10,000 or under.
Under the new model, which is based on $150 per household, recreation spending will increase from $1.6 million to $2.1 million. Fifty per cent of the County’s cash-in-lieu funding from developers will be divided between the regional and district recreational facilities. Twenty-five per cent will go to fund regional facilities, 20 per cent will stay in the specific recreation district where the development occurs and five per cent will go to the district general fund, available to all facilities for capital projects.
The draft plan, which Rocky View staff started working on in 2008, was created with input from more than 21 public engagement sessions, council and stakeholders.
Representatives from several facilities made presentations at the meeting.
“We would welcome this new model because it gives us a chance to finish our building,” said Paul McDonald of the Chestermere Regional Recreation Facility. “We are looking forward to participating in some sustainable funding so we can provide another level of service to the community.”
“This is definitely a step in the right direction,” said Robin Mitchell, general manager of the Spray Lakes facility. “Having the operating funds come in and being able to use them for capital funding is huge.”
Rob Paterson, chair of the Rocky View West Recreation Board, said the board unanimously supports the draft funding model.
“We see this model as a solution to challenges we now face,” he said. “We look forward to working with the regional board.”
According to Lang, staff will continue to develop policies and procedures, create cost-sharing recreation agreements, work with identified regional facilities, continue the consultation process and await council’s budget decision before putting the draft policy before council for final approval.
