Westminster United Church, Rotary Club of Ingersoll encouraged to apply for community grants

Connor Luczka, Echo Correspondent

After a report and a delegation given to Zorra Township Council on May 7, both the Westminster United Church and the Rotary Club of Ingersoll were directed to apply for the annual community grants given out each year.

Westminster, in partnership with Cycles of Life, is hosting a weekly food drive and wishes to host it in the township’s Beaty Room due to the potential stigma of operating out of the church.

Staff investigated waiving the room rental fee for the group, which would cost the church $3,900 annually, and found a more agreeable option was to direct the group to apply for community grants to offset the cost of renting the room. In the interim, staff suggested running the drive out of the church.

One of the concerns around waiving the fee was the cost associated with the room rental. For the municipality to clean the space it would cost upward of $1,900 annually. It also presents other administrative and liability challenges.

Policy wise, the township does not offer fee waiving for year-round bookings as well, and staff expressed concern that waiving the fee this time would lead to more organizations making similar requests in the future.

Likewise, the Rotary Club of Ingersoll was directed towards the community grants program.

Ted Comiskey delegated to council asking for support for a new food warehouse to support distribution efforts. As he said, the situation in Canada and the region is dire.

“Southwestern Public Health says that about one in five need some sort of assistance in Oxford. One way or another, social services are not enough,” Comiskey said. He pointed out that although this project is centred in Ingersoll, it is a regional need that is being felt in Thamesford and Zorra Township in general. Though many Zorra residents are fortunate, they are not immune to rising cost of living pressures, he said.

As envisioned by the Rotarians, the warehouse would be used by various charitable organizations for storage and distribution and would be located in the former CAMI gymnasium next to the Seniors’ Centre in town. The building is owned by General Motors and leased to the Rotary Club, but it has been vacant since the plant’s construction. Due to its 35 years of disuse, it needs $120,000 worth of renovations and the club has raised about half of that already.

Comiskey asked council for a small amount, suggesting $5,000 but making it clear that any assistance would be appreciated.

Despite petitioning for the urgent need, council directed Comiskey to apply for the community grants stream.

“You're not wrong that it's a need in Zorra Township as well as Ingersoll. I commend you and all the partners in working on this,” said Mayor Marcus Ryan after Comiskey’s presentation. “I would really encourage you to follow up with Sofia (Caldwell, manager of recreation and facilities) afterwards and look at the community grant policy and consider submitting an application to that.”

“This is an immediate request,” Comiskey replied. “… The need to get this building up and running and functioning … is going to have to happen over the next couple of months.”

Grants are awarded each year by council in the winter during budget deliberations. Applications open on July 1 and end on October 1 each year.

4.38% tax rate rise approved

At that same meeting, council approved the 2025 tax rates, wrapping up the final piece of the 2025 budget that began to take shape late last year.

With a 5.26 per cent tax levy increase at the municipal level and the Oxford tax ratios set by county council earlier this year, for the average home assessed at $281,000, property taxes will increase by $157.39 in total, representing a 4.38 per cent rise.

For farmland assessed at $1.5 million, taxes are increasing by $182.87, 4.3 per cent. Commercial building owners will pay an additional $532.56 yearly, a 3.53 per cent increase.