Coquitlam has scaled back plans for its 125th birthday in an effort to contain costs but the budget changes are slight and the bulk of the events and legacy programs will remain intact, according to staff.
Raul Allueva, the general manager of parks and recreation, told The Tri-City News some trimming brought the overall budget down from an estimated $915,000 to $854,000. The new figure falls within the $720,000 to $870,000 range council approved last January.
“The goal was to try and scale some of the elements down,” said Allueva, comparing the cuts to a meal where the number of courses stay the same, just with smaller portions. “Rather than take out a whole piece, we just tried to trim a number of the components to bring it within the original range.”
Some of the savings came from pulling $14,000 out of the sponsorship budget while another $14,000 was taken out of marketing and promotion for the festivities.
The city also trimmed its budget for the salmon legacy project, saving $3,500, while $15,000 was taken out of the $69,000 originally dedicated for block parties and neighbourhood night celebrations.
The Kaleidoscope Festival, which is seen as the signature event of the 125th birthday, also had its budget reduced slightly, from $204,000 to $201,000, while Lights at Lafarge will be $4,800 cheaper than originally planned, with a budget of $78,200.
Council initially approved a range of $720,000 to $870,000 last January, before the program and legacy projects had been established. But when the final plan was presented at the beginning of October, a report said that staffing costs had pushed the overall price tag to $915,000.
Allueva was asked by council to take the proposal back to the Coquitlam 125 Anniversary Task Force to find some savings.
Still, Coun. Mae Reid said she had concerns with the plan, although not with the total amount being spent but how the cash was being allocated.
Initially, $130,000 was budgeted from the community capital fund, which is made up of money that comes from the city’s share of casino profits, while $386,000 came from the infrastructure reserve. Reid put forward an amendment to the report that was successfully passed by council that saw the numbers somewhat reversed, with $330,000 coming from the community capital fund and $186,000 from the infrastructure reserve.
@gmckennaTC
