ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: January 19, 1998

Author/Local: J. Beresford/7789

CC File No. 2001

TO: Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets

FROM: Director of Finance, Director of Community Services -

Social Planning, and Director of Office of Cultural Affairs

SUBJECT: 1998 Funding Ceiling - Civic Grants

INFORMATION

The General Managers of Corporate and Community Services submit this report for Council’s INFORMATION.

COUNCIL POLICY

City Council, on March 7, 1978, adopted a policy whereby the annual Civic Grant program is divided into three categories of ‘Community Services’, ‘Cultural’, and ‘Other’; with a funding ceiling for each category. The Funding ceiling is established annually by Council based upon the recommendation of the Director of Finance and the Director of Social Planning.

City Council, on October 23, 1990, approved the Civic Child Care Strategy Report from the Director of Social Planning and established the Child Care Grant as a fourth category.

City Council, on August 15, 1991, approved the discontinuation of the Strategic Cities Program and established the Sister City Society Grants to be administrated by the Director of Finance under the ‘Other’ Grants category.

City Council, on December 14, 1995, approved the Barriers - to - Bridges Neighborhood Development Grant Program to be administered by the Manager of Community Services - Social Planning.

City Council, on February 20, 1997, approved a reduction of $180,000 in the Civic Grant Program for the support of large cultural organizations and major exhibiting organizations.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to summarize the 1998 funding ceilings for each of the Civic Grant categories as recommended by the Director of Finance, the Manager of Community Services - Social Planning and the Director of Cultural Affairs. This report does not deal with grants to individual organizations.

BACKGROUND

Each year, the Director of Community Services - Social Planning and the Director of Cultural Affairs submit reports to Council dealing with the funding ceilings of the Community Services, Child Care and Cultural grant categories, A separate report from the Director of Finance deals with the funding ceiling of the Other Grants.

DISCUSSION

Consistent with the Council policy regarding the development of Civic Grant Ceilings, staff are recommending an increase of 1% above the 1997 funding levels. This increase applies to the total funding available in the Community Service, Cultural, Childcare and "Other" categories rather than to individual grants. Funding in the Major Facilities category is based on agreements in place with the organizations involved, although these generally reflect a 1% increase for 1998. This level of inflation is generally consistent with both local levels of inflation and the inflation provided in the 1998 Operating Budget.

The following table presents a summary of the 1998 funding ceilings of the Civic Grant Programs as recommended by the Director of Finance, the Director of Community Services - Social Planning and the Director of Cultural Affairs.

1997 Ceilings 1998 Recommended

Community Services $2,854,000 $2,882,500

Cultural $2,958,980 $2,988,600

Child Care $ 665,895 $ 672,600

Major Facilities $3,416,700 $3,450,900

Other $ 530,000 $ 550,000

Total $10,425,575 $10,544,600

The funding ceiling for the Cultural category includes $100,000 to provide continued support to the Vancouver Symphony Society’s rental of office space in the Orpheum Theatre, which was approved as part of the "rescue" package in 1988. The Major Facilities category includes funding for the Vancouver Arts Stabilization Fund ($100,000) which expires in 1999 and $200,000 in supplementary funding for the Vancouver Museum Commission which expires in 1998.

Details of the proposed funding ceilings are included in the companion reports.

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(c) 1997 City of Vancouver