Budget Deliberations

Thursday, 5 March 2015 at 12:33

A pair of motions are coming forward at City council in regards to the Art Gallery budget

WOODSTOCK - The Woodstock Art Gallery will take centre stage again this evening as City Council looks to finalize their 2015 budget.

Councillor Shawn Shapton will put forward a motion asking that the Art Gallery's operating budget be reduced by more than $83,000 to $500,000.

"The City has done enough. The taxpayers have done enough. At this time, it's time for the gallery to step up and own the product they are trying to sell and I want to put some onus back on them."

Shapton says the $500,000 figure is in line with what the Art Gallery's actuall operating expense was for 2014.

"I will always support the arts. I will always support culture in our community. I think it's vital for a successful community. It's when I see the operating budget getting out of hand for no reason with no real justification and it's at that time, it's our job as councillors to step up and look after the taxpayer."

Councillor Deb Tait is also bringing forward a motion on the Art Gallery. Her ask if for the budget to be frozen at $557,000 for a period of three years with a report that proposes options for reducing the cost to taxpayers.

The actual motions by the two councillors read as follows:

Motions Received from Members of Council

Councillor Shapton:

That the Art Gallery Budget be reduced by $83,120 to $500,000 with part of the reduction
financed by transferring $9,500 from the Lily Telfer Trust Fund and $4,600 from the Reserve
for Catalogues and Publications to the Art Gallery revenues and further that account
0711-83172-0707 WAG Curatorial – Provision for Art Acquisition Reserve be amended from
$10,000 to $0 and Account 0711-83173-0728 WAG – Exhibition – Provision for Exhibition
Reserve be amended from $5,000 to $0 and that the Board be directed to amend the balance
of the budget accordingly,

and further that the Board bring forward any requests to access additional gallery specific
reserves or reserve funds for Council’s approval.

Councillor Tait

That the Art Gallery Budget be frozen at the 2014 budget level of $557,630.00 for
three years and further that the Board be directed to prepare a report that
presents options to reduce costs to the taxpayers.