The City of Martensville is looking to reallocate approximately $11,000 in provincial Sask Lotteries Trust Funding that was not utilized by community organizations last year.
A decision on the reallocation is expected to be on the agenda for the February 16 Martensville City Council meeting.
During a meeting of Martensville City Council’s committee of the whole meeting on February 9, a report from the city’s recreation and community services department noted that in April 2020, council allocated $74,243 in provincial lottery funding to community groups.
Each year, the province provides lottery funding for recreation and cultural organizations, and the municipality denotes which organizations receive the funding and the amount they receive.
The organizations must utilize the funds for specified purposes within a specific time frame and provide accountability on their expenses to the provincial government. Any funds not utilized must be returned to the province.
In a report to the February 9 meeting, Martensville Recreation and Community Services Director Ted Shaeffer noted several organizations were not able to utilize their funding allocations due to COVID-19 restrictions, program cancellations and temporary closure of recreation facilities.
He noted that approximately $11,000 of the $74,243 allocation from last year has not been utilized.
“This amount could potentially increase, as some groups have not yet confirmed if they will spend their entire allotment” before March 31, 2021, said Schaeffer. In order to utilize the funds for the purpose they are intended for, the city is proposing to reallocate the money to purchase recreational equipment to enhance existing civic-owned facilities, including the aquatic centre.
The city administration is suggesting the city use the funds to purchase seasonal recreational equipment including a floating water park, super water slide, bouncy castle, toddler trampoline and yoga mats.