EXCERPTS:
The Region of Waterloo will receive about $2.6 million more than expected in provincial funding in 2014 for children's services.
Councillors approved in principle Tuesday to allocate the majority to children's services, cancel proposed budget cuts to the department and use about $300,000 to decrease the tax levy.
But that may change when the issue goes before the region's budget committee.
"That was the first good news we've received for our budget in, I would say, a year," said Coun. Sean Strickland.
The money will be dealt with as part of the region's budget process in coming weeks as politicians consider about $5.5 million in service cuts to limit a property tax increase, including for police, to 2.8 per cent.
Strickland said the region already funds the children's services budget to the tune of about $3.2 million more than the province requires and adding another $2.6 million to that may not be appropriate.
Coun. Tom Galloway said the region may claw back some of that money.
"If we are going to be looking at reducing some services such as transit, if we're going to reduce some services in social services, discretionary benefit funding ... should another service increase the level of service?" Galloway said.
Councillors in 2013 agreed to spend about $2 million above provincial requirements on discretionary benefits that pay for things such as food hampers and dental care for poor people.
That's proposed to be cut to $1 million in 2014, but it's expected to be a cut that councillors will try to avoid.
"When you're looking at changes to discretionary benefits and all other programs at the region ... I don't think, based on all the other services we have to provide and what they're experiencing this budget cycle, that we'll likely end up funding (children's services) fully," Strickland said.
Staff also proposes taking three types of cuts off a proposed regionwide list of potential cuts and adding one full-time staff member.
The proposed cuts include laying off a part-time caseworker and reducing subsidies for various fees and wages.
Allotting the funding to children's services would eliminate the waiting list for daycare subsidies and help pay wages for daycare workers.
-reprinted from the Waterloo Record