Lake Cowichan town council has approved $2,300 in grants-in-aid for 2017, after looking at requests from five local groups.
However, two of those grants — $500 to the Cowichan Valley Radio Society for Summer Nights music and $600 for the Lake Cowichan Downtown Renewal Society — will be held pending receipt of financial reports/budgets, which should have been submitted with their requests for funding.
The other groups, Cowichan Rocks curling and the Lady of the Lake Society are each getting $600 from the town’s budget.
Councillors, annoyed at yet again having to decide without being given the requested information, will look at the town’s policy on grants-in-aid and the deadlines for submissions as well before next year’s budget talks.
Coun. Bob Day, while voting to approve the Summer Nights assistance, said, “Why do we have deadlines if we’re going to approve this without the information?”
Mayor Ross Forrest agreed, “They all know what the rules are. This is not the first time we’ve been through this with them. It disturbs me a little bit.”
Councillors were also not sure if a request from the Lady of the Lake Society should become part of the regular budget, like the town’s grants to the Lake Cowichan School dry grad and scholarship, since the Lady of the Lake Society applies every year. They will look at the subject again.