The estimated 2012 budget for the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board could cost taxpayers an extra $1 million more than it did in 2011.
That's a six per cent increase from year to year on a budget estimated to come in at $19.2 million. DSSAB officials on Monday presented an overview of its operations for this year to city council, followed by a preview of what's to come in 2012.
Melissa Harrison, DSSAB's chief administrative officer, said the organization is taking steps to lessen the blow to taxpayers.
“Any increases in cost by Ontario Works have typically been covered by the Ontario Municipal Partnerships fund in terms of being reimbursed,” Harrison said. “Although it is taxed through the local municipality, the province reimburses the municipality and in essence using the municipality to levy the funds for that program.”
The province always reimburses a year behind and will cover 100 per cent of the cost, she said.
Harrison said the number of clients they handle has increased and the budget is set to reflect those numbers.
She said their board has been underfunded for some time and actually received funding cuts from Ontario Works a number of years ago. Through the board’s new funding model, the province recognized the amount of funding it was providing wasn’t enough to give adequate services to Ontario Works clients, she said.
Social housing remained a significant challenge financially for DSSAB because of the federal government froze funding for social housing since 2002. That block caused a gap between the federal and province governments contribution.
She said the gap continues to grown even now.
Recently DSSAB cut nine jobs as the organization restructured. Harrison added they have put out eight job offerings and have filled one already.
At-Large coun. Rebecca Johnson said the six per cent raise to their budget wasn’t acceptable despite being reimbursed by the province.
“It’s still the tax payer’s money when it is all said and done,” Johnson said. “Whether it comes out of the provincial or it comes out of the local or if it comes out of the federal it is still the tax payer’s money. So you have to really seriously look at it. If we had six per cent in everything across the board the tax payers can’t afford that.”
