LITTLE CURRENT—The Manitoulin Centennial Manor has passed its budget, with a slight increase in the municipalities’ portion. At the Manor board’s regular meeting held last week, the board also voted in Pat MacDonald as its new chair.
“We are in a very good position budget wise,” Ms. MacDonald told The Recorder after the board’s meeting last week. She pointed out the board will be forwarding the budget on to municipalities by February 14. “We had passed a draft budget in November, but with the municipal elections taking place and new board members to be on the board we waited until now to pass it. There were a few changes made from the original budget, but nothing substantial. The Manor is in a good surplus position (as of the end of 2018), the best in my memory of being on the board.”
As previously repored in The Recorder, the board was looking at a surplus at the end of the 2018 budget year although these funds would go toward some of the still-to-be-paid HVAC costs.
Ms. MacDonald pointed out, “for many years, the board budget would see a zero percent increase for municipalities. But in the past few years we decided to go with a two percent increase to include the increase in costing (which is the case with this year’s budget). “The municipal share of this year’s budget will not mean a huge hit for municipalities.”
“Part of the reason we (Manor) are doing so well is that Wendy Gauthier has done an amazing job in capital projects fundraising. The changes of carpeting to flooring project will be able to get going in May or June, and we will have plans in place to do this without disrupting the lives of the residents,” said Ms. MacDonald.
Ms. MacDonald had been voted in by the Manor board to take on the position of board chair at its meeting last week, her second term on the board.
The Manor board has three new members: Hugh Moggy of Assiginack, Art Hayden of Burpee-Mills and Dan Osborne. Dawn Orr of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (Northeast Town) remains and Aurel Rivet and Wendy Gauthier of Northeast Town are provincial appointees to the board.
“We have a good board, and I’m sure we will be able to work well together,” said Ms. MacDonald. She noted as well that Manor Administrator Michelle Bond is leaving April 25, “so we will be advertising for someone to take over this position. We will really miss her; she has been an excellent administrator. She has helped to maintain the culture of the Manor being a very comfortable place with a good atmosphere, a place where staff and residents are happy to be.”
