SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 3
CS&B COMMITTEE AGENDA
OCTOBER 24, 1996
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: October 8, 1996
TO: Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM: Director of Finance,
in consultation with the City Clerk
SUBJECT: 1996 Sister City Grants
CONSIDERATION
A. THAT a grant of $5,000 be approved to the Vancouver -
Guangzhou Friendship Society, with the source of funds to be
the 1996 Sister City Grants budget.
With respect to the request of Vancouver-Los Angeles Sister
Society, the following alternatives are submitted:
B. THAT a grant of $6,000 be approved to the Vancouver - Los
Angeles Sister City Society, in accordance with established
Council guidelines; with the source of funds to be the 1996
Sister City Grants budget.
OR
C. THAT a grant of $8,750 be approved to the Vancouver - Los
Angeles Sister City Society, as requested by the Society;
with the source of funds to be the 1996 Sister City Grants
budget.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Corporate Services submits A and the
choice of B or C for CONSIDERATION.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council has allocated $15,000 in the 1996 Operating Budget to fund the
Sister City Grants.
City Council, on March 24, 1992, approved the guidelines for the
Sister City grants as follows:
A. Each Society is to provide an accounting for the
expenditure of the previous year's grant before the
current year's grant request is considered.
B. Each Society is to present an outline of its plan for
the next financial period together with information on
the proposed projects for Council's consideration.
C. Grants to sister city society for a specific project
should be no more than 20% of the total funding for
that project.
D. Maximum grant per society should be no more than 40% of
the total sister city grant allocation for the year.
E. A significant portion of the expenditure for the
projects supported by the City's grant should be made
in Vancouver.
Approval of grants requires eight affirmative votes of Council.
BACKGROUND
The grant year for the sister city grants covers June 1 of the current
year to May 31 of the year following. During the financial period,
grant requests are received and reviewed to ensure compliance with
guidelines as established by Council, and presented to Council for
consideration.
DISCUSSION
A. Vancouver - Guangzhou Friendship Society
In 1995, a request for $6,300 was received for the purchase cost of
the George Pratt Salmon/Sundial sculpture as a gift for Guangzhou's
Friendship Park. Council approved a grant of $5,000 and the Society
raised the remaining $1,300.
The current request for the 1996 - 1997 financial period is for three
projects:
1. Hosting of students from Guangzhou - $1,500
Due to the success of the Vancouver student visit to Guangzhou in
1995, for the first time, a group of 12 Guangzhou students have been
allowed to travel to North America. The budget for the visit is
$4,000. $2,500 have been raised by the students, and the Society has
submitted a request of $1,500 to assist in the project.
2. Hosting of Delegations - $2,500
In the past, the hosting expenses are paid for by the committee
members. With the increasing number of delegations visiting
Vancouver, the additional expenses have caused financial strain on the
committee members. This grant will pay for the cost for the
delegation members only, and the committee members will continue to
pay for their own expenses.
3. Printing Cost - $1,000
The Board of Directors is planning on a major membership drive in the
business community, and this request is to fund the design and
printing of the membership materials.
It is noted that these request do not follow Council's guideline C,
which specifies that the City contribution should be no more than 20%
of the total project amount.
B. Los Angeles Sister City Society - $8,750
1996 is the 10th anniversary of the twinning of Vancouver and Los
Angeles. The Los Angeles Sister City Society has developed a number
of events with a total budget of $108,500 to celebrate the occasion,
and has submitted a request for $8,750 to the City to partially fund
the cost.
The proposed events include a business opportunity seminar, peewee
hockey exchange, Friends of BC reception in Los Angeles, and hosting
of the Los Angeles Sister City delegation visit to Vancouver and the
1996 Producers' mission.
It is noted that based on the guidelines established by Council, the
maximum grant per Society should not be more than 40% of the total
Sister City Grant budget. With a 1996 budget allocation of $15,000,
the maximum grant to the Los Angeles Sister City Society should be
$6,000 instead of the $8,750 as requested.
The Director of Finance submits the two requests for Council's
consideration, and in the case of the Los Angeles Sister City Society,
offers options to Council to approve a grant of $6,000 as established
under the current guideline, or the $8,750 as requested. The source
of funds for the grants is the 1996 Sister City Grants budget. The
unallocated balance of the 1996 Sister City Grants budget is $3,000 or
$1,250, depending on Council's decision on the request from the Los
Angeles Sister City Society.
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