By Mark Squibb/December 30, 2022
Witless Bay council has held off making a firm decision as to whether it will financially support the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association (BBBAA) until sometime in the new year.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the BBBAA was on the agenda for a special meeting called for December 22, the same meeting during which council passed the 2023 budget and tax structure, but council voted to delay the matter regarding the regional recreation group.
Councillor Nancy Burke, council’s BBBAA representative, motioned that the Town defer making a decision.
“We require more discussion, and we need to make some more decisions ourselves, before we make a final decision, and take this to a vote,” explained Burke.
The motion to defer passed unanimously.
Witless Bay, along with neighbouring Bay Bulls, have for years paid the BBBAA an annual operating grant of $37,000 each. In 2021, both towns provided a boost of $13,000 each on top of that to help the organization deal with increased costs due to the pandemic. The extra funding was made possible by government COVID-19 financial support, which is no longer in place.
In March of this year, council voted to deny a request from the BBBAA to match the 2021 total funding of $50,000, instead choosing to stick with providing $37,000 as per the MOU.
The matter divided council, with councillors Jacob Hayden, Nancy Burke, and Ralph Carey voting in favour of granting the increase, and councillor Gerard Dunne, finance committee chairman Alex Troake, Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard, and Mayor Trevor Croft voting against it.
At the time, Troake noted the MOU was set to expire and council should reconsider how it funds the town’s recreation services.
During a public meting held on November 24, Burke reported that negotiations were still ongoing with the BBBAA and would need to be completed by December 9 in order for any funding to be accounted for in Budget 2023.
Though the decision is still up in the air, council did make allowance in the budget of $37,000 for recreation administration.
That money is earmarked for the BBBAA — should council decide to continue funding the group.
“If council decides not to renew its agreement with the BBBAA, or if the approved amount is lower than $37,000, the funding will be reallocated to other recreation and community initiatives in Witless Bay,” explained Troake in an e-mailed response to an inquiry from the Irish Loop Post. “Should council agree to provide the BBBAA with the $50,000 they’ve requested, $13,000 (and potentially an additional $8,000 to pay for audited financial statements) will have to be cut from other areas, including roadwork, speed bumps, and funding for groups such as the Heritage Committee and Kinsmen.”
