Inside City Hall
Governments have a habit of just doing what they have done in the past. They seem afraid of change.
Yet, we have learned over the years that every success story includes change and sometimes failure. When something is not working, it’s time to change it up. This philosophy has led me to try a new way to award Councillor Grants.
Each year City councillors and the mayor are given the honour of awarding grants to groups in their community to make our neighbourhoods better.
During the first year of my term (thank you again for the opportunity to serve you), I noticed that approximately 95 per cent of the grants were awarded to the same groups, year after year. As we begin 2020 at City Hall, I want to ensure we give all groups, associations and residents an equal opportunity to participate.
This year we will do it differently and together as a community. As you may know, I have Resident Advisory Groups in Charleswood, Tuxedo, and Westwood. I will be discussing each grant application with the group from the area in which the application impacts. Every applicant will be invited to join us to discuss the application in detail. The hope is that these informal meetings will help us better understand your needs. Maybe there is more we can do as a team that could help with additional funding from other levels of government. You may even have a number of volunteers sign up as support.
There are three different Councillor Grants available for application. Each requires that the request meet the minimal conditions. As an example, you may know of a park on City-owned land in our community that needs a little updating or equipment improvements, or you may have an idea for some additions. These items would apply for a Land Dedication Reserve grant. The other two options are the Community Incentive Grant and the Per-capita Grant.
Here are a few helpful tips when it comes time to apply: provide the more detail the better. Larger grants require the applicant to present a budget for their project accompanied by a few different quotes. Just send me an email, [email protected] or call the office at 204-986-5232 and we will help you apply for the grant that best suits your needs
This is your money and I believe it’s my obligation to ensure it is used for the right reason and that it will benefit our community.
City Councillor Kevin Klein serving Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood and Chair of the Winnipeg Police Board.