Prince George city council has some contingency money left over from last year.
A report from the Finance and Audit Committee, which will be discussed at the city council meeting on Monday night, details that the remaining balance of the fund on Dec. 31 was $25,818 and the fund was set at $75,000 for 2023, meaning council used $49,182 of the fund last year.
The contingency fund may be used at council’s discretion throughout the year to fund one-time expenses that may arise during the year, including city services and financial assistance requests.
The unspent funds will not carry forward into 2024 but will be absorbed into the city’s year-end surplus.
The use of council contingency throughout the year included:
-- $7,500 for the Inspiring Women Among Us event at UNBC, held from Nov. 22- 29.
-- $15,000 to put a “Home of the Rocky Mountain Rangers” sign at the entrances to the city but this was completed for $3,382.
-- $20,000 to create a one-time micro grant for damages caused by the downtown explosion.
In November, the Royal Canadian Legion requested $18,000 to help host the annual Remembrance Day Ceremony.
However, council believed it had insufficient funds in the contingency at that time, and instead voted to explore funding options at the following meeting but an anonymous donor stepped in and provided the funding in full for the event.
