City Manager Norm Gale and his team are looking at ways to centralize the process of applying for grant funding.
Council directed administration to review the application processes, which included discussion and determination on whether there are sufficient resources assigned to the task, whether a decentralized approach continues to be best, what changes ought to be made, and whether opportunities have been missed.
Gale says when the corporation applies for grant funding it’s complex work and not just anybody can do it.
“Only certain people can fill out or do the work required to seek grant funding for certain programs,” said Gale. “For example if we’re looking for more blue widgets, we need a person who understands blue widgets very well.”
The City Manager did report to council Monday there are sufficient resources in the Corporation to complete grant applications. The centralized repository of grant applications should be
created and the corporate Financial Forum and the executive management team should be used as venues to coordinate.
Gale stresses the municipality has a limited ability to raise funds.
“Taxes or user fees. We’re constrained in how we do that by government and by the law,” Gale noted. “So we rely on, let’s call it transfer payments, or other sources of revenue from the federal or provincial governments to do the stuff that Ontario in particular wants us to do.”
Gale says the work continues to construct and use a centralized repository of grant applications.
The Full Interview with City Manager Norm Gale
