Councillors may keep HCI funds, but give up spending control

Heading into next week's public consultation on the future of the $600,000 ward funds, even the most strident supporters of the policy are acknowledging city councillors will likely have to relinquish their spending powers over the money.

In an interview this week, Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said she's waiting to hear what the public has to say. But she's willing to give up spending control if it will help preserve the funds.

"That's exactly what the consultation will provide us with -- an opportunity to re-examine the policy as it stands,” Landry-Altmann said. “If there's an opportunity for refining, I'm all for that. I will support that."

While the HCI policy was overhauled in 2012 to place several new restrictions on how the money could be spent, the perception of the money as “slush funds” persist in many people's minds. Before the reforms, there was little control on how or when councillors could spend the money. The most notorious example took place in 2010 when, just before leaving council, former Ward 7 Coun. Russ Thompson spent $40,000 to to help purchase SMART boards for Northeastern Elementary School, where he was a teacher.

Landry-Altmann acknowledges that before the overhaul, the rules on how the money could be spent were too broad.

"I will agree with you that more oversight was required -- that's why in 2012 the policy was revamped," she said.

The reality is the money is leveraged to improve the quality of life in the city's 12 wards, she said, something that's especially important to wards such as hers, where income levels are lower.

"Everyone needs to understand that not all wards are equal in terms of resources," she said. "I know in Ward 12, we have been able to fund initiatives that otherwise would not have gone forward."

Park and playground improvements are the most visible beneficiary of the funds, and Landry-Altmann cites the example of Ridgecrest playground, where HCI money helped leverage $150,000 in federal grant money.

But there are other examples, too, she said, such as the Pond Hockey Festival. Launched in 2009, organizers received $10,000 from four councillors' ward funds.

"And look where it is now -- 81 teams participate, and thousands of residents benefit from this project," she said. "Without HCI, I think it would have taken a lot longer."

In her ward, she cites the success in Louis Street, an area that used to attract a dozen police calls a week. That's down to just a handful a month thanks to a community policing initiative by Greater Sudbury Police, and HCI investments that helped establish a community association and an after-school program for kids in the area.

"There's a lot of social capital investment that needs to be considered when it comes to HCI -- and Louis Street is a perfect example," she said. "The cut in police callouts -- every callout is worth $456. We were able to cut that by 75 per cent. How much is that worth? Close to $50,000."

And thanks to another partnership, college students participate in the after-school program, mentoring kids in the neighbourhood. Landry-Altmann said HCI played a key role, because people in the community had a way to make their plans a reality.

“Kids are succeeding better in school -- how good is that?” she said. “HCI is a stopgap measure. By that I mean it can be a catalyst for projects. It supports volunteers and their time, which is so generously given. It gives them hope that whatever time they are investing in a particular project will come to fruition."

While Landry-Altmann and Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac are the only ones who were part of the last city council, their newly elected colleagues have voiced support for the funds – provided spending control is taken away from politicians and handed to staff.

Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier said at a city council meeting Jan. 27 he would use the funds, but would consult staff before deciding on"each and every single request, no matter how small the dollar amount.

"Every, every request will go through staff."

And Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh said she supported HCI in principle, but not in their current form.

"These funds must be administered away from councillor influence and managed in a different way, absolutely," she said.

For her part, Dutrisac said she always consulted members of her Community Action Networks before she spent HCI money, so relinquishing spending control wasn't that important.

"But (HCI funds) share the wealth with all of the 12 wards, and I think that is extremely important," she said. “Some people have questioned the way that (the money) is distributed ... If we're going to change the method, let's change the method. But let's keep the amount fixed for all our areas."

The public input session on the future of the HCI funds will be held March 24 beginning at 6 p.m. in council chambers at Tom Davies Square.