Some city groups could be deemed ineligible for CBT cash
By Nelson Daily Editor
By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily
Three Nelson community groups are in danger of having their future Columbia Basin Trust applications ruled ineligible as they are found to be delinquent in the reporting and accounting for the money they received last year.
Although the regional district — who delivers the CBT’s Community Initiatives program to the area — would not reveal who the groups were, the message was delivered Thursday morning to the Regional District of Central Kootenay board of directors that the three groups, and 23 in the immediate region around Nelson, could be ineligible when applications for the coming year were received on March 11.
On March 11, those groups who have not accounted for the money they have been given in 2010 will be pre-screened and removed as ineligible.
A resolution had been passed in 2009 by CBT that stated any applicants that failed to submit a financial report of the year following the receipt of funds would not be eligible for any more CBT funds until the applicant’s project was complete and the final report had been received.
Directors had to police their own, RDCK chair John Kettle said during the board meeting, and get their respective community groups to file their final reports.
“This is probably the best program that the Columbia basin has to offer,” he said. “It gets right down to the moms and pops and the little kids that never see any money.”
Area D director Andy Shadrack proposed a motion those projects that are completed but have failed to comply with the provision of submitting their final report by March 11 would not be eligible for 2011 funding.
Area G director Hans Cunningham said, by the time the deadline date for report completion gets published, there were only a few days left to file.
“I know your point, it is only seven days, but they have had a year to do this,” said chair Kettle. “It is unfair for staff to have to chase this down right now.”
CBT project coordinator for the RDCK, Angela Lund, said she sent out a reminder of filing to the delinquent list in November. They were originally required to file reports by June 30 of 2010.
“These organizations have had, from myself, over three months of leeway,” she said.
There was a loophole in the motion, said Cunningham. Incomplete projects that submitted an interim report were exempt from the rule.
“How do we know they are complete? Could they not say they weren’t complete and get out of it?” he asked.
Lund said that was a possibility.
