Ward Funds Important For Community

After being without ward funds for all of 2015, councillors are happy to see them back this year with even more to spend. In 2014 each councillor was given $15,000 to spend in their ward on anything they see fit. Last year that was cut during budget talks to help keep Adie Knox Arena open. This year each ward gets $40,000. Ward 7 councillor Irek Kusmierczyk says this money is important. "You hear from residents of things that could be added to improve their quality of life and this allows us to do that without having to engage the annual capital budget process," he says. "So it gives us a little bit of flexibility to be able to get those projects done in a timely fashion." The project must be a capital expense and be inside the ward, although expenses can be shared between councillors. In his first year on council, Kusmierczyk says he put the money to good use. "I used to it to purchase lego robotics kits for Forest Glade Library," Kusmierczyk. "We also installed a bus shelter on Banwell Rd. because we recognize that a lot of seniors, for example, for to Shoppers to fill their prescriptions and take the bus and we wanted to protect them from the elements." Three councillors have committed $143,000 of their ward funds carried over from previous years for the Brock and Tecumseh bronze statues in Sandwich Towne. Others have spent money on tree planting, lighting for alleys and parks, dog parks, a kayak rack and an outdoor clock on Ottawa St.