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Westlock County maintains 25 per cent FCSS share

Westlock County has decided to contribute a 25 per cent share to Family and Community Support Services for 2013, despite having previously said it would only provide the minimum 20 per cent required by the province.

Westlock County has decided to contribute a 25 per cent share to Family and Community Support Services for 2013, despite having previously said it would only provide the minimum 20 per cent required by the province.

FCSS director Jayme Baxter presented the organization’s budget to county council on Oct. 23, and included two different sets of municipal contributions — the minimum 20 per cent, and the 25 per cent the town, county and Village of Clyde have been providing over the past few years.

The province contributes 80 per cent of the funding, with the municipalities expected to pick up the remaining 20 per cent. However, many municipalities pay more than the minimum. In Westlock, the town, county and village split the municipal contribution.

With the status quo being maintained for another year, Baxter said things wouldn’t change too much in terms of the services the organization can provide.

“We’ll continue to provide the excellent programming that we already are doing, and I won’t have to face cutbacks,” she said.

Providing a 25 per cent share means the county’s contribution for 2013 is $55,219. That’s a difference of $9,200 from the 20 per cent contribution of $46,019.

County reeve Charles Navratil said the county decided to provide more than it would have preferred because cutting their contribution so quickly would have had a negative effect on services.

“That’s what you’re trying to do, you’re trying to serve the community to the best of your ability,” he said.

“As much as you try to pinch pennies, sometimes you do have to change your mind and you can be convinced to do something a little bit different.”

However, he said the county is determined to get down to providing only the 20 per cent minimum.

“Myself, I would have just as soon kept it at 20 (per cent),” he said. “But after hearing her presentation … they are coming up with some different programming, so they do need a little bit more money.”

While an extra $10,000 is not a huge cost when in the context of a $23 million budget, Navratil stressed the ultimate goal is to have FCSS work within the 80/20 framework established by the province.

He added that the county has no stomach for contributing anything like the 50 per cent some other municipalities have chosen to do.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re at our max at 25 per cent,” he said.

For Baxter, she said she understands the pressures municipalities are under, and expressed a hope to see the province ante up more funds.

“Hopefully the province will give us more money soon, because it’s been too long,” she said.

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