WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Wellington County Economic Development Committee has doled out some reserve money as contingency dollars for the Ride Well program.
At a meeting yesterday, Warden Andy Lennox put out a motion to repurpose $600,000 of reserve funds originally intended for rural broadband towards the Ride Well Program.
Lennox told committee members the broadband funds are now covered by the government, and went on to say there is much uncertainty surrounding Ride Well, with a grant program supporting it set to end in 2025.
Supporting residents in a rural area, Lennox said, involves a degree of thought towards those with transportation barriers.
Councillor Dianne Ballantyne seconded the motion.
Lennox, meanwhile, added this represents no firm commitment to the Ride Well program. He says that aspect will take a thorough decision making process.
He stated this will make future approval of projects a very thought-out process.
Wellington County Treasurer Ken De Hart says that script could completely flip in 2025 due to this shift, if not resulting in a higher spike than the 2024 drop of 0.5 per cent.
Lennox added this, like all budget decisions, was one that stemmed from a wide view of county funding decisions.
The move will come into effect in the upcoming 2024 budget.
