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Mono resident urges council to spend recreation money carefully

October 17, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Mono council should look hard at the town’s recreational needs before deciding how to spend money in next year’s budget.

During the Oct. 8 council meeting, Mono resident Elaine Kehoe asked about the financial situation of the municipality’s recreation department going into 2025. And she said, she’d like to have a clearer picture of the coin received this year from the town’s recreation venues.

Mayor John Creelman said council is in the midst of tackling next year’s municipal capital budget for 2025. The operating side of inking the budget, which will have details of revenue generated in 2024, hasn’t been disclosed to council yet.

Kehoe said Mono has gotten as much as $113,000 from the Bruce Trail Conservancy. That’s a considerable amount of money, she said.

“Just less than a year ago we couldn’t afford liners for our hockey rink that has no membership fees and allows young people to congregate and have fun,” she said. “I think we should take a step back before we start spending that money and look at our overall picture.”

She realizes that money has to go toward recreation initiatives. But it shouldn’t be so quickly handed out at this early stage of the budgeting process.

“We should really look at the whole picture,” Kehoe said.

“I think the short answer is that we are going to reexamine our decision with regard to the liners,” Creelman said.

He said any money that goes to the town for reserve funds goes into the reserves.

“And they do not get spent quickly,” he said. “It’s not something that they (monies) go in one day and out the other.”

“Since we’re talking liners, I find it hilarious that we’re going to spend millions of dollars on a pool, which is a good idea,” Kehoe said.

“We haven’t made that decision yet,” Creelman interjected.

“I know that,” Kehoe said. “But, at the same time, if our budget was so depleted that we couldn’t afford liners for a hockey rink, I find it amazing that we’re considering or even putting forward the idea of an indoor pool at this stage.”

She said there are “fiscal issues” that need to be addressed.

Earlier in the council meeting, the idea of a new pool for Mono residents was broached by way of a question from the public. Councillor Elaine Capes said she was investigating possibilities for a pool.

Councillor Ralph Manktelow said council is not currently considering a pool.

“It’s the prerogative of any member of the council to bring up any issue that they’d like and present it, and that’s what (Councillor) Capes has indicated she’s going to do,” Manktelow said. “But that’s as far as it’s gone.”

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