The Town of Olds council voted last week to temporarily take over the community's Family and Community Support Services board.
Council has had trouble in filling the board positions over the last two years.
“Perhaps people don't know what the role of the FCSS board is and so they're not willing to step forward. And that may be because we (at the town office) haven't done our homework in educating the public,” said Barbara Hill, the town's director of community services.
The board's role is to provide advice and recommendations to council on addressing social development issues and objectives in the community. The board is also tasked with making recommendations on funding applications it receives each year from community organizations.
Hill said many community councils throughout Alberta act as the FCSS board in those communities as a way around finding volunteers to sit on the board.
Hill said the hope is that with public awareness, enough community members can be found by fall to re-appoint a community board. If not, the temporary bylaw change enabling council to take on the role of the board will have to be amended to a more permanent bylaw.
A total of $102,968 was given out to nine different community groups this year, with $5,000 left over to fund emerging projects over the remainder of the year. Some of the groups that received funds include Parent Link, the Boys and Girls Club of Olds, Olds High School, Family School Wellness and Chinook Arch Victims' Services, among others.
"Perhaps people don't know what the role of the FCSS board is and so they're not willing to step forward. And that may be because we (at the town office) haven't done our homework in educating the public."Barbara Hill, director of community services, Town of Olds
