Meaford Council has passed a motion to carry over $310,000 from its 2020 surplus and allocate it into various services.
During its meeting on April 26th, it was approved to transfer over:
-$80,000 to the Service Delivery Review Update, which retains a contract employee that works on mapping and determines efficient delivery services
-$30,000 to the Salary Market Review, which performs maintenance of the pay equity program, ensuring the positions are on the salary grid and ensures the competitiveness with external comparators for employee retention
-$60,000 to the Facility Rationalization Study, which addressed facility conditions, consider functionally efficient opportunities, and establish best use of surplus space, along with others
-$140,000 to the Facilities Reserve Fund, to finance future corporate facility needs
This decision follows an August 2020 announcement of Provincial funding to help offset the impact of the pandemic, and Meaford was going to receive $352,000 to support operating costs and pandemic related pressures.
Back in September of 2020, staff initially advised given the challenges of the pandemic, there would be no expectation the Municipality would be in a situation where they would have a surplus and that the funding would cover revenue shortfalls as well as added operating costs.
During 2021 budget deliberations, funding of $567,500 in 2020 for facility needs was decreased to $393,000 in 2021.
The reports notes, “using the surplus to complete the service delivery review, salary market review and facility needs will assist future tax levies in that these projects will not require future funding to accomplish.”