A local non-profit and the St. Albert Public school district are welcoming city council's decision to keep funding for Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) intact next year.
During budget deliberations on Dec. 1, council considered a motion from Mayor Cathy Heron to cut back FCSS funding by $300,000. FCSS is a joint municipal and provincial partnership that funds preventative social service programs.
Confusion over the motion's intent resulted in two potential options for cutbacks: either make the cut and let a city committee recommend ways to allocate the rest to outside agencies, or target the cuts at city-funded programming, which would eliminate a preventative support program the city has with St. Albert Public Schools.
The city regularly contributes more to FCSS than required, and Heron said the cut would bring down the proposed tax increase while sending a message that the province needs to step up.
"We continually increase our over-contribution, we always have. The provincial government has only increased their FCSS funding once since I've been elected, I think it's time they stepped up and helped with the cost of these things," Heron said, noting her intent wasn't to hurt non-profits or vulnerable populations.
"The problem is, it's confusing and we don't quite know how to do it yet. But if we as a council are committed to lowering the tax increase, this is the biggest motion on the floor today that will do that."
Coun. Natalie Joly spoke in favour of the motion as a way of tightening the city's budget belt. Cutting back on the city's contribution would also encourage supporting agencies to have discussions around how they can lower costs in the same way, Joly said. Coun. Wes Brodhead also said he supported the motion, calling it a "hard decision" but one that would reduce taxes.
"If we want to reduce our taxes, the tax request of our people in a year of COVID, than some significant chunks have to be taken out of areas that hurt. And this will hurt. But I think there's a plan that can be executed that will look for efficiencies ... and I'm confident that can be done," Brodhead said.
However, other councillors weren't convinced that cutting support to FCSS during a pandemic was the right call.
Coun. Jacquie Hansen said "this is not the year" to cut back on FCSS funding, as supports are needed "now more than ever" for the city's vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I get angry that the province downloads and that we're supplementing them, essentially, so we can provide services and supports for our residents ... but on the other hand, the province has no money either," Hansen said.
Coun. Ray Watkins said he didn't see this budget as the right time to cut FCSS funding, and was willing to see a marginal tax increase if it meant keeping supports intact.
"The Mayor said it's not going to hurt our not-for-profits, it's not going to hurt our most vulnerable, but it will," Watkins said. He brought up discussions with residents over the budget, who said they wanted the city to cut back on spending, except for social services.
"It takes a village, and this is the time we need to be a village and step up. Maybe we can't get to a zero-per-cent tax increase this year ... but if that's the case, I'm willing to pay my 0.3 per cent."
Coun. Sheena Hughes echoed what Hansen and Watkins said, noting there will be opportunities to have conversations about social sector supports. But non-profits and vulnerable groups will face the consequences if the city decides to cut back without any specific plans.
"This is like trying to cut off your left arm to say you're losing weight, because the reality is, people need these supports right now," Hughes said. "This is not the time to talk about how we want to cut the taxes, which will effectively be a $1 per month tax savings, at the consequences of children and seniors who need it."
Council voted down the motion in a 4-3 vote, with Hansen, Watkins, Ken MacKay and Hughes against.
Relief follows decision
Renee Lukie, St. Albert Public student services supervisor, shared stories from families who benefited from the city-run program with council ahead of the vote. The school district was willing to continue its $20,000 annual contribution to the program, and Lukie said she was glad to hear council voted to do the same.
"It was important for our district to share the stories of our experiences for our own students so that they could hear what it looks like on the front line, and what the impact of that money has in real life," Lukie said.
"I don't think Mayor Heron by any means was not seeing the importance of the work being done, I think it's just a matter of trying to prioritize where you can find the funds to be able to balance the budget. At the end of the day, I think it's a good thing for our kids and our families, and our whole community."
Areni Kelleppan, executive director of Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society, spoke to the Gazette before budget deliberations about the motion, as there was the possibility of funding impacts to their youth counselling and education programs.
She said she was relieved to hear there wouldn't be cuts to FCSS municipal funding this year, but she is worried about what lies ahead with dwindling support from the province and absence of federal safety nets.
"I worry about funding for next year for our programs, because all of our services are free. The nature of domestic abuse and violence is that cost is a barrier, and not having a cost means that more people can access the services when they need," she said.
"So it's a real conundrum about how we continue to operate next year, and in future years, because I think the city will have to do what Mayor Heron has already hinted at – they will need to cut somewhere. And that's always a concern for us."
Out of the FCSS program's entire budget, $600,000 goes to outside agencies and community organizations to fund preventative programming, $930,000 goes toward the city-run Individual and Family Supports program, and $1 million goes toward the city's Community Strategies and Community Development program.
