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Council, YWCA meet to discuss financials

Banff town council has called a meeting with Banff YWCA to discuss the organization’s financial problems and the threat of closure of its women’s shelter.

Banff town council has called a meeting with Banff YWCA to discuss the organization’s financial problems and the threat of closure of its women’s shelter.

Town officials say they first learned about the Y’s operating deficit and the possibility the shelter would close at a regular council meeting last week.

The projected cost to run the shelter – which temporarily houses women and their children fleeing from violent relationships – is around $73,000 this year.

Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen said council believes the YWCA provides a very valuable service to the community, but was “shocked and dismayed” to learn about the deficit and pending shelter closure.

“The Town of Banff and this council do not provide financial relief with public funds lightly and council needs to fully understand this,” she said.

“That’s why we have called a meeting with the Y’s board of directors; so we can sit down with them and help create some long-term solutions,” she added.

“I don’t understand why the shelter would be the cut they would make. The Y is an organization with many programs and I’m a little surprised that the shelter would be the target for the cut.”

Last week, Banff’s YWCA indicated it may be forced to close down its shelter for abused women in the face of tough economic times and ongoing increases to their costs.

YWCA staff told Banff council they have been running an overall deficit budget for the last four years, but said the tipping point could well be the Town’s new garbage and recycling pick-up fee.

The Y wants council to exempt it from this new utility and that all charities be treated equally, noting organizations housed in Town-owned facilities like the daycare and library do not pay it.

There is, however, disagreement between the Town and the Y on what the Y would pay for the new waste utility, which is designed to encourage people to produce less garbage.

Based on current consumption levels, the Town expects the YWCA would pay $1,750 in 2011, in quarterly payments of $437.50, and at full implementation, would pay about $7,000.

The Y, on the other hand, indicates the fee could be as high as $15,000 by the time the fee is fully phased in over the next four years.

Town council also wants to point out it has a long history of supporting the Y.

The municipality provided $200,000 in a capital grant in 2007 for expansion of a third-floor project, and although the Y did not take them up on it, offered to secure a low-interest construction loan.

In addition, the Town automatically gives the Y – a registered charity – a property tax exemption every year, which in 2010 was the equivalent of a $121,000 grant.

Again, the Y disputes this, saying three-quarters of their organization is made up of residential accommodation, meaning if taxed on a residential rate, they would pay $32,000.

Kerry-Lee Schultheis, executive director of the Y, said she welcomes the meeting, but wants to highlight the Y just wants to work within a level playing field.

“We are hopeful that good things will come out of the meeting,” she said.

“We want to end the perception that the Y is a hotel pretending to be a not-for-profit.”

According to the Y, the women’s shelter has so far been used for 294 nights in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, compared to 49 nights in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Half of those were women with children and/or were pregnant. She said the higher number this past year could be attributed to harder economic times for families.


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