A parade of government agencies and groups who rely on municipal dollars for a portion of their funding marched before council last week presenting their 2010 budget requests. Most, though not all, want more money to do what they did last year. Here is a sampling of some of their presentations.

SOCIAL SERVICES

Residents of Prince Edward County and Lennox and Addington will be the beneficiaries of nearly $44 million in social services in 2010—$35 million in assistance payments, $3.2 in childcare services and $5.2 million for social housing. The province pays the bulk of these costs but in 2010 the municipalities of Prince Edward and Lennox and Addington will be required to pay $8.0 million ($4.9 million – Lennox and Addington; $3.1 Prince Edward).

This is $2.1 million less than these municipalities paid last year as the province continues to upload the cost of these services back to provincial coffers. Municipalities have long argued that they have no input or discretion over the activities and decisions of the provincial agencies and therefore they should be paid entirely by the province.

Municipalities won the argument, but the province is taking back these expenses in their own sweet time. Prince Edward County will make its last social service contribution in 2018. However as they upload these costs the province is also reducing funding it provides in other ways by a similar amount.

Prince Edward County taxpayers will pay $3.1 million in 2010, about $800,000 less than they paid last year. However Ontario Municipal Partnership Funding (OMPF)—used to address inequities in thinly populated rural communities— for Prince Edward County has been reduced by $737,000.

In total this municipality lost $1.5 million in OMPF dollars in 2010, in part because the value of homes and properties (as judged by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC)) has increased to a level that the County is no longer eligible for the same level of provincial funding.

RECYCLING AND WASTE REDUCTION

Quinte Waste Solutions (QWS) provides waste reduction programs and recycling services to 10 area municipalities including Prince Edward County. Last year this municipality paid QWS $359,254 (about 20 per cent of the QWS budget). This year they are seeking $369,004 plus a new charge of $8,030 for a total of $377,034, a five per cent increase for County taxpayers for the same service.

The new charge is called a “real cost equalizer” which QWS Chair Peter Koostra says is required so that “municipalities recognize that the true cost of recycling and waste reduction programs continues to increase.

An observer might have assumed that municipal councillors would be accustomed by now to the fact that the cost of its agencies was continually rising, but QWS Chair Koostra felt compelled to distinguish in this budget between “real” cost increases and the presumably unreal cost increases of nearly $10,000.

THE REGENT

The Regent Theatre continues to hold its head above water with the help of fundraising and grants to the facility. It is a good thing for the facility is expected to pull in just $246,000 in ticket sales for events and movies. Meanwhile the Regent’s expenses are expected to run more than $450,000. Sponsorships ($11,500), fundraising ($77,000), grants ($54,000) and interest and miscellaneous revenues ($81,300) are expected to enable the Regent to service its debt, keep the lights on and perhaps break even.

The Regent board is seeking $40,000 in support—the same level of support as in recent years. It is also asking for a renewal of $10,000 committed for capital repairs last year but not spent.

THE CHAMBER AND TASTE

The Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce does not consider the municipal funds it receives as a grant but rather a fee for service—that of providing tourism services to visitors to the County.

Since 2008 the cost of visitor services provided by the Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has risen on average about five per cent per year—from $52,500 in 2008 to $57,400 proposed for 2010.

Meanwhile, Taste the County’s municipal grant has remained unchanged at $25,000 over the same period. Taste markets the County as a tourism destination primarily to individuals and groups outside the area. It does this through events such as Maple in the County, and the Arts Trail and the Taste Trail.

THE PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY FAIR

The Prince Edward Agricultural Society admits it is struggling to make a go of the County fair—losing money in each of the last four years. Fair director Frank Stevenson says the fair’s midway, in particular, has been an ongoing disappointment.

He says the fall event will celebrate its 175th anniversary this year but that “no major celebration is planned due to the lack of funds and volunteers willing to organize a major event.”

The municipality stepped up with a $10,000 grant to the fair board last year but the event still lost money. This year the board is asking for a special grant of $20,000 and an ongoing annual grant of $10,000 in subsequent years. The board is prepared to provide audited financial statements if council considers its funding request favourably.

PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY LIBRARY

Increases in wages and benefits costs are driving a seven per cent increase in the library and archives budget.