Riverbank receives city grant 4 months early

Brandon Riverbank Inc. is receiving next year’s $250,000 in grant funding from the city about four months early to pay off its major projects.

Brandon City Council approved the advancement — to “be issued promptly” — in a 9-1 vote on Monday.

The non-profit group asked for the early funding to cover the balance of the $1.8-million combined cost for the Peter Sawatzky Sculpture Garden, Discovery Gardens and a solar array on the roof of the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

“We’re fully paying for those three projects … It’s just a timing thing where the cash flow is an issue at the moment,” executive director Dean Hammond told councillors.

The organization didn’t expect all three projects to come to life at the same time, he said, and having to pay for the work all at once has led to the need to ask for the money now. The installation of some sculptures and the solar array were both delayed, coinciding with the original timing for the Discovery Gardens.

The Riverbank was initially set to receive the 2026 capital grant from the city in January. It also has funding coming from the province, but that is also going to be provided in the next three to four months.

“Two or three weeks would be manageable. Anything more than that would be difficult,” Hammond said.

“This is just essentially bridge financing to manage our cash flow.”

Hammond said it would be possible for the Riverbank to take out a line of credit through its “friendly banker,” but that there would be interest involved and coming to the city was the “easiest solution.”

Coun. Bruce Luebke (Ward 6) asked several questions about where the money would come from if it’s given in advance, and if there’s another way the Riverbank can get funding, as he hadn’t heard of the request until earlier in the day.

“I’m not 100 per cent sure if I’d be comfortable doing it tonight,” Luebke said.

The city’s director of finance, Troy Tripp, said the money will be expensed in 2026 as part of next year’s budget.

After being pressed by Luebke about the impacts of paying it now, Tripp said the city would “cash flow this in the interim.”

A city spokesperson said after the meeting that “the 2026 capital grant will still be included and funded through the 2026 budget as initially planned. However, until then, we will use internal financial resources to support the early payment.”

Luebke was the lone vote against in the motion. Coun. Tyson Tame (Ward 10) was not at the meeting.

In an interview with the Sun after the meeting, Luebke said he voted against the advancement because there wasn’t enough clarity.

“I just kind of felt we could have had more complete information from our administration on the impact it’ll have on our finances, both for 2025 and 2026,” he said Tuesday. “I just would have rather seen us get an administrative report that answers all of those questions before we move forward with it.”

Unlike most other decisions made by council for funding, no reports were attached to the agenda about the history, impact and need the request entails.

He said he hopes this request doesn’t start a trend.

“I do worry a little bit that by advancing next year’s grant three and a half months early to the Riverbank, (it) could lead to other organizations that we support annually through grants, if they get into any kind of financial difficulty, that they would also come to us for advancement of grant funding for the following year.”

Luebke said he’s very supportive of the Riverbank, and that the organization itself doesn’t have an impact on why he voted against the early funding.

Tripp told councillors that the money being spent early would mean the city would lose the interest it would have received between when it’s disbursed and January.

The Sun asked how much money the city will lose in lost interest, but multiple phone calls and emails weren’t answered.

At the meeting, Coun. Greg Hildebrand (Ward 5) asked if the Riverbank requesting money in advance this year would start a cycle of the organization doing that every year.

“I don’t anticipate anything. Once again, this is kind of an unforeseen situation,” Hammond responded.

“Twenty-six years of Riverbank being here, I don’t think this situation has ever occurred before,” he said.

The price of the Peter Sawatzky Sculpture Garden was “a little bit north of $1.3 million,” and the Discovery Gardens and solar array were just under $200,000 each, Hammond clarified Wednesday.

» alambert@brandonsun.com