qathet Regional District’s finance committee will be recommending $3,500 in financial assistance to support the 19th annual Powell River Film Festival.
At the January 22 finance committee meeting, directors gave consideration to the request, with two directors supporting a reduction in the financial assistance amount.
Electoral Area C director Clay Brander said he thought the amount of the allocation was a bit high. He recommended that a $1,000 contribution be made by the regional board to Powell River Film Society out of the regional district’s grant-in-aid budget.
Electoral Area D director Sandy McCormick said she was not sure where Brander got the $1,000 figure, but she said it felt like numbers were being pulled from the air.
“We don’t really know what the right number is; we are just trying to put something in there that sounds good,” said McCormick. “I have no problem with the request at it’s stated. That is the same amount they’ve received during the last two years. I’m a bit reluctant to go with a different number than what was included in the report.”
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said he heard McCormick’s concerns that going from $3,500 down to $1,000 might be too much of a shock for the organization.
“I kind of like the idea of weaning someone off of something,” said Gisborne. “Rather than going from $3,500 to $1,000, we should go from $3,500 to $3,000, rather than dropping $2,500. I don’t think I can support it being $1,000 but I could support an amendment for a gradual reduction over time, and let them know that over time they are going to have to be self-sufficient.”
Committee chair George Doubt said he thought the committee should pass the motion as it was worded in the agenda.
“The amount is appropriate for what is being requested by the film society,” said Doubt. “We should be making it out of the economic development grant to be consistent with what we have done in the past. It will give us time to review our economic development and grant-in-aid process.”
Brander’s amendment failed.
Doubt called a vote on the main motion, which was that the committee recommend the regional board include in its 2020 budget a contribution of $2,991 to Powell River Film Society from the economic development service, and that any approved financial assistance be paid in January 2020. It passed with Brander and Gisborne opposed.
There was a second motion that $509 be contributed from the Electoral Area B grant in aid service, and it passed with Gisborne opposed.
