Rossland city council met to determine funding for Community Support Grants on Monday night.
In total, $374,200 in grants were requested for 2017, as compared to the $307,095 that was actually awarded in 2016. This year, facing $250,000 in cutbacks that need to be made to the 2017 budget, council limited the amount awarded to $250,000, or approximately five per cent of the anticipated total tax revenue the city has budgeted for in 2017 (approximately $5,000,000).
Councillor Aaron Cosbey motioned that council approve all Community Funding Grant requests under $5,000 for their entire value, and the motion carried. Council then allocated to the remaining applicants, though some received no funding at all.
Though Golden City Days and Rossland Winter Carnival appeared on the funding request list, Bryan Teasdale, City of Rossland’s chief administrative officer and corporate officer, explained that both of those items have been removed from the Community Support budget, and “have already been built into our draft 2017 budget.”
| Organization or event | Purpose | Requested for 2017 | Approved for 2017 |
| Rossland Council for Arts and Culture | Exec. admin. salary | $4,000 | $4,000 |
| Kootenay Columbia Trails Society | O&M | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Tourism Rossland | Core activities | $55,000 | $20,500 |
| Bear Aware/ Wildsafe BC/ BC Conservation | Community coordinator | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Heritage Commission | Heritage projects | $5,800 | $4,833 |
| Sustainability Commission | Engagement, admin., etc. | $14,000 | $12,250 |
| Tennis Club | Maintenance | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Rossland Museum Society | O&M | $48,500 | $45,308 |
| Rossland Public Library | Operations | $127,000 | $121,192 |
| Food Security | (Received funds last year) | NA | NA |
| Vision for Small Schools | Marketing | $10,000 | $0 |
| Scouts | Renovate Scout Hall | $8,300 | $0 |
| Little Oasis | Help sponsor families | $7,000 | $0 |
| Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club | Vehicle | $24,500 | $0 |
| TRP — Rec Financial Assistance | (Removed as part of $250,000 reduction for 2017) | NA | NA |
| Golden City Days | $4,600 | NA | |
| Rossland Winter Carnival | $15,000 | NA | |
| Rossland Youth Action Network (YAN) | Capital funding on city building | $24,500 | $15,917 |
| Total | $374,200 | $250,000 |