By Mark Squibb/February 24, 2023
Witless Bay council has once again delayed making a decision on whether or not it will fund the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association moving forward.
“Basically, council is still ironing out the details of this MOU,” said Councillor Nancy Burke, who serves as council’s BBBAA liaison. “It’s an important item for the town which has required much discussion and decision making,” said Burke. “It is not something that we are entering into lightly. We want to ensure that we get it right, so that all parties involved are satisfied. We expect to have a decision to present in the very near future.”
For the last number of years, the Town has contributed $37,000 annually to the organization, as dictated by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Witless Bay and the organization. The Town of Bay Bulls pays an equal amount and the BBBAA effectively acts as a recreation department for both communities and the region generally.
That MOU expired at the close of 2022, and Witless Bay council has yet to decide whether it will renew it, despite the item appearing on three public meeting agendas since December.
In early December, Burke had noted a decision would need to be reached soon, as the Town was budgeting for 2023.
Councillor Alex Troake, responding to an e-mail inquiry from the Irish Loop Post earlier this winter, said that $37,000 has been earmarked for the BBBAA in the budget should council once again enter an MOU. If the Town chooses not to enter into an agreement, that money will be used for other recreational purposes.
Council denied a request from the BBBAA for an additional $13,000 back in 2022; at the time, finance chairperson Councillor Troake accused the BBBAA of “sitting on their hands” during the pandemic, a statement BBBAA president Scott Penney vehemently denied.
Bay Bulls has already approved its funding to the BBBAA for this year.
