Sam Smith / Tri-Cities Now February 14, 2014 12:00 AM
Should the City of Port Moody give tax dollars to charities? That was the question raised Tuesday, after organizers of the Dancing 4 a Change gala, held Feb. 1 at Inlet Theatre, asked council to waive nearly $1,100 in rent and staff fees.
A motion to waive the $519 for the theatre rental was defeated, leaving the charity stuck with the full bill.
Sheila Alwell, founder of Dancing 4 a Change, said in a phone interview she accepts the decision.
"Oh yeah, it's fair," she said. "I plan on going back next year and pleading my case again, but I understand the budget has to come out of somewhere."
Coun. Bob Elliott said at Tuesday's meeting the situation is a tough one.
"This plays on me," he said. "I call these 'heartstring waivers' playing on the heartstrings
of myself and other councillors here.
"It's tough not to approve this because it's going to something positive - every one we've had - but I think we have to get direction on this."
Port Moody doesn't have a set of criteria for charities asking for fee waivers after hosting events at the theatre.
That leaves all requests at the discretion of council, which chooses which groups get a break and which don't.
"It's a tough one, but they're all doing good work," said Mayor Mike Clay. "And some of them are getting money, and some aren't and there's nothing fair about that."
Community grants are important, said Coun. Rick Glumac, but city staff need rules to work with.
Staff are drafting legislation to create an application process for non-profits, which Coun. Zoe Royer said is expected in March.