City to take another run at ward 'slush' funds

Sudbury city councillors want to keep control of their $50,000 Healthy Community Initiative Funds — and not shift them back to be managed by city staff.       

The councillors' pots of discretionary funds allow them to spend money on various community projects within their wards.

Jacques Barbeau voted to keep the funds on his turf.

"As far as returning the entire budget back to leisure services, I do not support that not all expenditures are leisure services," he said.

"There are many expenditures that we deal with."

'Let's clean it up. Make it right.' —Sudbury councillor David Kilgour

But councillor David Kilgour said he believes councillors could live with the switch back to staff control — if councillors planned ahead.

"These recommendations have a huge impact on how we, as councillors, deal with people in our ward," Kilgour said.

"Let's clean it up. Make it right. Co-operate and work with staff on getting things put together in the proper manner. But for God's sakes let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater

Staff will now take another run at coming up with a policy that tightens up control of the so-called slush-fund fund, while allowing councillors to respond to taxpayers' needs in their respective wards.