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County of Barrhead approves FCSS 2023 operational budget

Budget includes a five per cent COLA increase for staff
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Barrhead and District Family Community Support Services executive director Karen Gariepy told county councillors during their Dec.6 meeting about some of the difficulties she had in creating the organization's 2023 operational budget.

BARRHEAD - Barrhead and District Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) will get the budget increase they had asked for from the municipalities they serve.

Town of Barrhead councillors unanimously approved the FCSS 2023 operational budget of $553,148.50 with a municipal contribution of $75,500 following a presentation by executive director Karen Gariepy. 

Last year, the two municipalities contributed $68,500 each. 

Two weeks earlier, Town of Barrhead councillors approved their part of the budget. 
Gariepy noted the bulk of the increase will go to fund a five per cent cost of living allowance (COLA) increase for staff, up from the one per cent staff received last year. 

Gariepy noted she is currently working on a pay grid salary scale, but until it is complete, the only wage increase FCSS staff receive is COLA. 

It is worth mentioning that the budget FCSS presented to the town represents the traditional 80/20 base programming funding that it shares with the province. The province restricts the use of this funding to base-preventative programming.  

The province provides 80 per cent of base operating funding for FCSS while the municipalities provide a minimum of 20 per cent, which in the case of Barrhead, is split evenly between the town and county. Under the provincial FCSS funding formula, the Barrhead municipalities have been contributing above the required $78,856 combined amount. 

However, as Barrhead's FCSS is a not-for-profit society, it operates several community-funded programs, such as the food bank and Santa's Toy Box. Gariepy noted that this budget is also upwards of $500,000, taking the total FCSS budget over the $1-million mark. 

"It is a bare-bones budget," she said. "I've cut everywhere I can, and if things go sideways, I am not sure where the money will come from."
 
Gariepy noted she cut from staff training and travel, advertising, office supplies, postage and vehicle and building maintenance. 

The decrease in the training budget, which equates to roughly $650 per staff member, could be coming at a difficult time. 

Earlier in the meeting, Gariepy said she is working with the town and county to update the role of FCSS in the municipalities' emergency plans, saying that in a disaster, the organization would more than likely be "activated" to serve as the defacto Emergency Social Services agency (ESS). 

She added the move will require additional training for FCSS staff but did not state where the funding would come from. 

Making budgeting even more difficult is that FCSS is projecting a decrease in revenue. Gariepy noted that in 2022, they underestimated the amount they would bring in through the seniors' home support program, which helps seniors stay in their homes by providing light housekeeping at a highly subsidized rate.
 
She noted many of the program's regular clientele either passed away or have moved into assisted-living facilities. 

As a result, Gariepy opted to lower the estimate of revenue will bring in a further $7,500. She also believes they will see lower casino/gaming revenue. In 2022, FCSS estimated they would receive $52,500 from gaming, dropping to $39,758.  

During her presentation to town councillors, Gariepy said she was hopeful that the province might increase its contribution. 

Unfortunately, since that time, FCSS received its next three-year contract from the province, setting its annual contribution at $315,423, an amount that has been unchanged since at least 2016. 

But Gariepy said it wasn't all bad news. She noted the recent move to its new downtown location saved them roughly $10,000 in rent. 

Deputy reeve Marvin Schatz noted that for years the municipalities' contributions have remained static, saying it has only been since 2019 that the organization has been steadily asking for an increasing amount. 

"How much will they ask for next year?"  he asked. 

In 2019-2021, FCSS asked for an additional $11,000 over the traditional $50,000 the municipalities had contributed for several years. In 2022, FCSS asked for and received $68,500 from the Barrhead municipalities. 

"The big question in all of this is where is the province?" Coun. Ron Kleinfeldt asked. "As always, the province just downloads the cost to us." 
Coun. Ron Properzi suggested the only way FCSS will see an increase in provincial funding is if it were an election year. 

Reeve Doug Drozd tended to agree, adding, unfortunately, the timing of FCSS contract renewal with the province happened a few months too early as the United Conservative Party-led government was not yet in election mode. 

 


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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