The City of Lloydminster is continuing their policy updates as the Safe and Healthy Communities Grant policy has returned for council review.
This particular bylaw ensures proper distribution of fees collected under the fees and charges bylaw.
Read more: Council reviews bench policy
In 2025, there’s been a total of $43,100 collected from surcharges with $29,700 from tobacco/flavoured/vapour product retails and $13,400 from cannabis retailers.
A timeline for the grant cycle was added which will be start Jan. 1 and end on Dec. 31.
Eligibility was added for the grant funding which is to support mental health. Reallocation of funds decision-making power shifted from the Community Services Advisory Committee to city manager or the designate. Reallocation’s will be reported through annual reporting.
“I think I’d like to see the reporting sooner than the end of the year,” said Coun. David Lopez.
Within the reallocation of funds, organizations may be granted an extension if they haven’t utilized all the project funding by the end of the grant cycle.
“I like the extension part, some of these groups are run by volunteers and sometimes they can’t get everything done in the time frame they say they do,” he said.
The grant is created and administered by the city, giving them more freedom with how they create their policy.
“I think because this grant is solely dictated and developed by the city we have a lot more flexibility, we kept the language similar across the board so we were consistent, but if we wanted to have recommendations for reallocations go to the committee, we can do that,” said Tracy Simpson, executive manager of community development services.
Simpson said administration would provide details of how much has been reallocated over the last few years and how they went through the process.
Coun. Jason Whiting asked if the approvals for the grant funding need to come to council.
“I do think there’s value in showing the public, through a council meeting,” said Dion Pollard, city manager. “I do see some value in the community seeing those allocations approved by council instead versus just at the administrative and the committee level. You’re right it’s been, call it a rubber stamp, that we’ve basically, I think every year that I’ve been here, least they’ve approved the recommendations that have come forward.”
The item will return to council for
Read more: Council makes policy more clear
