HomeMy WebLinkAboutFCS-14-007 - Environmental Committee Recommendation - 2013 Community Environmental Improvement Grand - CEIG Staff Report
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REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING: January 13, 2014
SUBMITTED BY: Environmental Committee
PREPARED BY: Barbara Steiner, Senior Environmental Planner
519-741-2200 (ext. 7293)
Dianna Saunderson, Committee Administrator
519-741-2200 (ext. 7277)
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: December 23, 2013
REPORT NO.: FCS-14-007
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION -
2013 COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
GRANT (CEIG)
RECOMMENDATION:
That the 2013 Community Environmental Improvement Grant (CEIG), to be funded from
the Environmental Stewardship Capital Account, as outlined in Finance and Corporate
Services report FCS-14-007, be awarded as follows:
• $2,538. to Guelph Street Garden for a Rain Water Harvesting Demonstration
program in Uniroyal Goodrich Park conditional upon approval from City Parks
Operations, receipt of a building permit, and proof of receipt of other requested
funding; and,
• $1,870. to Clipped Outdoors for a guided weekly summer program to introduce
women and families to Kitchener's public green spaces; and further,
• $752.50 to Transition KW for the Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit.
BACKGROUND:
The Community Environmental Improvement Grant (CEIG) was created in 2004 to foster a
sense of environmental stewardship throughout the City. The aim of the CEIG program is to
encourage residents to actively participate in environmental initiatives, by undertaking projects
that meet the following objectives:
• increase awareness of how residents view and treat the air, water and land resources,
and encourage solutions to improve the quality of these resources;
• promote healthy lifestyle practices;
• foster a sense of environmental stewardship;
• promote and initiate the development of short-term, intermediate and long-term
community-based environmental programs; and,
• support environmental research.
To facilitate this program, annually $5,000- is budgeted to the Environmental Stewardship
Capital Account.
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REPORT:
This year the Environmental Committee received seven CEIG applications, from the following
groups:
• Guelph Street Garden;
• Clipped Outdoors;
• Transition KW— Climate Change Adaption Toolkit;
• Two Crows Growery;
• Transition KW— Environment Symposium;
• Green Rocket; and,
• Community Renewable Energy Waterloo (CREW).
To facilitate the evaluation process, Environmental Committee members completed scoring
sheets for each of the applications; the results of which were compiled to produce an aggregate
ranking of all the applications. Upon review, if an application met the eligibility criteria, the
average score it received in the ranking was used as a percentage of its overall funding request
to determine a potential baseline for funding. A sub-committee of the Environmental Committee
met to consider the results of this ranking evaluation process, and brought forward a
recommendation for funding to the Environmental Committee.
At the December 19, 2013 Environmental Committee meeting, the Committee considered the
sub-committee's recommendation. Based on its deliberations, the Environmental Committee
has recommended that a total of $5160-50 be allocated to three of the seven CEIG applicants,
as outlined in the recommendation contained herein.
Council Policy 1-590 (Grant Program - Community Environmental Improvement) and grant
criteria have been attached hereto for Council's reference.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The CEIG supports the community priorities `leadership and community engagement' and
`environment' of the City of Kitchener's Strategic Plan and the recommended projects support
initiatives found within the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Air Quality in Kitchener.
The CEIG also helps achieve the Citizens' Vision for the Environment (2027), in which our
community focuses significant energy and resources on becoming more environmentally
friendly.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The Environmental Stewardship Capital Account has been allocated $5,000- in 2013 for the
CEIG program. The total amount being recommended is $5160.50. As a result of carryover
from previous years, there is capacity within the Environmental Stewardship Capital Account to
accommodate the proposed $160.50 over expenditure.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
The CEIG Program was advertised in fall 2013 in the Kitchener Citizen and various social media
outlets including Facebook, Twitter and the City's website.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, Deputy CAO
Finance and Corporate Services Department
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POLICY NUMBER: 1-590
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM —COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
COUNCIL POLICY RESOLUTION
POLICY NUMBER: 1-590 DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2004
AMENDED: OCTOBER 6, 2008
AMENDED: MARCH 15, 2012
POLICY TYPE: FINANCIAL
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM - COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
POLICY CONTENT:
1. Purpose
Grants are provided to organizations that operate within the City of Kitchener. The purpose
of the program is:
a) to increase people's awareness of how they view and treat air, water and land
resources and encourage them to be involved in solutions to improve the quality of
those resources;
b) to foster a sense of environmental stewardship;
c) to promote community environmental awareness;
d) to promote and initiate the development of community based environmental projects;
e) to support environmental research.
2. Funding Source
Funding is available to a maximum of $3,000.00 for each project in a given year to be
funded from the Environmental Stewardship Capital Account.
3. Criteria
a) Applicants:
i. Applications will be accepted from non-profit groups, neighbourhood associations
and communities of interest. A community of interest is defined as a group of
individuals who voluntarily associate with each other because they have
identified common environmental concerns that impact the city.
ii. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to initiate and follow through on projects
by having an organizational structure in place to lead and manage the activities
and to account for finances.
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POLICY NUMBER: 1-590
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM —COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
iii. Applicants must submit a completed community environmental improvement
grant application form, along with all supporting documents as noted in the
application form, by the deadline to the City of Kitchener.
iv. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that provide as much public
participation and access as possible, e.g. minimum charge or no admission
charge whenever possible.
V. Applicants seeking continual support for a project are encouraged to seek other
funding sources but may reapply every three years.
vi. A limit may be placed on the number of applications considered from schools or
school related entities in a given year.
b) Projects:
i. Each project for which funding is requested must demonstrably meet Council's
strategic objectives as documented in the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan for the
Environment and other policy documents, namely: Natural Heritage Systems and
Recreational Amenity Areas, Water Resources, Air Quality, Land Resources and
Growth Management, Energy Systems, Resource Consumption and Waste
Management, and Environmental Education and Public Awareness.
ii. Projects must consider inclusion and accommodation of persons with disabilities.
iii. Projects should normally be completed within one calendar year from the date
the application is approved.
iv. Projects that conflict with or are in direct competition with projects performed by
the City will not be supported.
V. Projects provided by the applicant for which funding is requested must be
provided directly to the citizens of Kitchener.
c) Financing:
i. Projects that bring additional external financing, material or human resources to a
project through partnerships are favoured over projects that are only sponsored
by the City of Kitchener.
ii. Funding for consultants or professional salaries will only be eligible if provided
within the context of a partnership with other funders. Applicants must be
operating for City of Kitchener residents. A pro-rated contribution may be
considered where residence of participants is mixed with other municipalities.
Such fees may be allowed to a maximum of$500.00.
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POLICY NUMBER: 1-590
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM —COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
iii. Where applicable, proof of adequate liability insurance should be presented by
the applicant requesting the grant.
iv. Projects that are the responsibility of other levels of government Municipal,
Regional, Provincial or Federal will not be eligible for a Community
Environmental Improvement Grant.
V. Projects having received funding through the City's Budget process, Tier 1 or 2
Community Grants or Community Garden Grant will not be eligible for a
Community Environmental Improvement Grant.
vi. Community Environmental Improvement Grants are intended for one time
funding only for a specific project.
vii. Projects that distribute funds to other organizations will not be considered, e.g.
fundraising events.
viii. Costs that are associated with ongoing business activity and not a specific
requirement of the proposed initiative will not be eligible for a Community
Environmental Improvement Grant, e.g. office supplies, telephone/internet fees,
salaries, in-kind donations or volunteer time, travel and accommodation costs
etc.
d) Revisions:
i. Any changes to the project timeline, nature and or content of an approved project
shall be subject to a revised proposal being submitted to the Environmental
Committee which will forward a recommendation to City council as to whether the
previously approved funding should be withdrawn.
ii. Failure to submit a revised proposal may result in the withholding or repayment
of funds.
e) Recognition:
i. Applicants receiving funds from the City of Kitchener will recognize the City's
contribution. The City will provide its corporate logo and corporate name for use
in promotional literature and material that may be prepared by the
organization/group for which a grant has been received. Such promotional
material and literature is to be developed in accordance with the City's Corporate
Standards Manual. The format of the recognition will be negotiated by staff and
the organization/group.
ii. Applicants receiving a grant must give a presentation to the Environmental
Committee at the June Committee meeting. A final report detailing grant
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POLICY NUMBER: 1-590
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM —COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
expenditures, summary of activities undertaken, environmental outcomes
achieved that include photographs, copies of media coverage received or written
feedback must be submitted within one month of the completion of the project or
at the November committee meeting, whichever occurs first.
iii. All project documentation and photographs become the property of the City of
Kitchener for use on its website or other educational material or events.
4. Grant Submission Process
a) All grant requests will be reviewed and evaluated by the Environmental Committee and
City of Kitchener staff.
b) Community Environmental Improvement Grant applications will be received once per
year, normally in mid-September (specific deadline dates will be published annually).
c) A sub-committee of the Environmental Committee will make grant recommendations
based upon input from Environmental Committee members to allocate resources within
budget.
d) Applicants will be notified of the sub-committee's grant recommendations prior to
consideration by the Environmental Committee, normally in October (specific deadline
dates will be published annually).
e) Applicants who request a grant will be afforded the opportunity to address the
Environmental Committee or appropriate Standing Committee of Council as a delegation
pursuant to Council's Procedural By-law; delegations are permitted to address the
Committee for a maximum of five (5) minutes.
f) Generally, grant recommendations will be brought forward for consideration by Council
at an appropriate Standing Committee of Council meeting, normally in November or
December (specific date will be published annually).
g) All decisions made by the appropriate Standing Committee of Council must be ratified by
City Council before they are final. The Committee's decision from this meeting will be
considered at the next regularly scheduled meeting of City Council.
h) Formal notification of successful grant recipients and amounts will be sent to applicants
following decisions by Council.
i) Payment of grants will occur after Council approval.
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CEIG Criteria Score System
Offer a brief description of the program or project(10 points)
description of program or project / 10
Describe a specific issue or problem in Kitchener that the program or project addresses (10 points)
Organizations must be operating for City of Kitchener
* residents (a pro-rated contribution may be considered / 10
where residence of participants is mixed with other
municipalities)
Describe the benefits to the community of the program or project(40 points)
Community projects should build a level of knowledge
�k and ability within the community to promote further /5
stewardship initiatives.
* Relates to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment /5
... Water Resources
* Relates to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment /5
... Pollution &Environmental Interference
* Relates to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment /5
... Waste Management
* Relates to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment /5
... Land Resources&Growth Management
* Relates to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment /5
... Energy Systems
* Relates to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment /5
... Natural &Recreational Amenity Areas
* Relates to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment /5
... Resource Consumption
Outline the project implementation plan and schedule (20 points)
* Groups must demonstrate... an ability to initiate and /5
follow through on projects.
* Groups must demonstrate... an organizational structure /5
in place
* Groups must demonstrate... lead and manage the /5
activities
Where applicable, proof of adequate liability insurance
�k should be presented by the organization requesting the /5
g ra nt.
Provide the budget for the program or project(10 points)
�k Request for one-time funding only, for a specific project. /5
�k Groups must demonstrate... account for finances /5
Please list any additional partnership or funding contributors (10 points)
Additional external financing, material or human
* resources brought to a project through partnerships are / 10
favoured over projects that are only sponsored by the
City of Kitchener.
�k Taken from the 2012 approved grant criteria
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