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Minutes

General Committee

March 9, 2015

Meeting Number 9

 

Finance & Administrative Issues                  Community Services Issues

Chair:              Deputy Mayor Jack Heath                            Chair:                      Councillor Alan Ho

Vice Chair:      Councillor Colin Campbell                             Vice Chair:              Councillor Alex Chiu

 

Environment & Sustainability Issues                        Building, Parks, & Construction Issues

Chair:              Councillor Valerie Burke                 Chair:                     Councillor Colin Campbell

Vice Chair:      Councillor Karen Rea                                      Vice Chair:              Regional Councillor Nirmala Armstrong

 

                                                                                                                       

                Alternate formats are available upon request.

 

 

Attendance

 

Mayor Frank Scarpitti

Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

Regional Councillor Jim Jones

Regional Councillor Joe Li

Regional Councillor Nirmala Armstrong

Councillor Valerie Burke

Councillor Alan Ho

Councillor Don Hamilton

Councillor Karen Rea

Councillor Colin Campbell

Councillor Amanda Collucci

Councillor Logan Kanapathi

Councillor Alex Chiu

Andy Taylor, Chief Administrative Officer

Trinela Cane, Commissioner of Corporate Services

Brenda Librecz, Commissioner of Community & Fire Services

Catherine Conrad, City Solicitor

Joel Lustig, Treasurer

Mohammed Hosseini-Ara, Acting Director of Culture

Andrea Tang, Manager, Financial Planning

Alida Tari, Council/Committee Coordinator

 

 

 

 

The General Committee meeting convened at the hour of 1:18 PM with Deputy Mayor Jack Heath in the Chair.

 

Disclosure of Interest

 

Regional Councillor Nirmala Armstrong disclosed an interest with respect to Item 1, by nature of being a member of the Markham Arts Council Board.

 

 

 

 

1.         CELEBRATE MARKHAM GRANT
PROGRAM REVIEW (7.6)

            Presentation

 

Brenda Librecz, Commissioner of Community & Fire Services presented the Celebrate Markham Grant Review process that was previously approved by General Committee on January 9th 2015, and outlined the purpose of this workshop.

 

John Matheson, Partner, Strategy Corp provided an overview of the work undertaken to date on the Celebrate Markham grant review program and pointed out the importance of the program.  He also introduced the areas for discussion at this workshop.

 

Shirley Hoy, Project Lead, Strategy Corp delivered a PowerPoint presentation outlining the elements of the Celebrate Markham Grant program which included the following five major areas of focus:  Governance, Eligibility, Application Process, Reporting, and Program Review.   Each of the five areas had proposed program options for Committee to consider and discuss.

 

The Committee discussed each of the five major areas and the recommendations relative to the Celebrate Markham Grant program:

·        Importance of benchmarking  grant programs offered by other municipalities within York Region

·        When comparing grant programs consider in-kind support as well as financial

·        Discussion on options for administration – in house, committee or administered through a third party?

·        Not in support of having Markham Art Council (MAC) be the third party administrator

·        Groups that have been receiving Celebrate Markham grants for many years consider establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or multi year funding commitments.

·        The need to align this program to the outcomes of the Culture Plan

·        The use of  grant funds for intended purposes versus  providing any of surplus grant funds to charity

·        Create annual staff report outlining how the grant funds have been used

·        Develop  criteria outlining what the grant money should be used for

·        Need to clearly outline eligible and ineligible criteria

·        What level of  audited financial reports should be a undertaken

·        Supportive of staff grants review committee to prepare staff report for Council approval and moving the City operated grants to departmental budgets

 

There was considerable discussion on methodology for setting the funding envelope, program criteria and handling of surplus grant funds by groups.  The Committee suggested that another session be booked with Members of Council to review any past issues prior to the staff report coming forward.

 

 

 

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

Moved by Councillor Valerie Burke

Seconded by Councillor Alex Chiu

 

That the General Committee rise from the in-camera session 4:08 PM.

 

Carried

 

 

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