The 2008 budget for the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority is performing almost exactly as expected.

The CA's Board of Directors received a full budget update at the Board's regular meeting last Wednesday afternoon. CAO Jim Manicom presented the Board with the budget update and said there were no surprises in the budget through the end of June.

"We're pretty much on track," he said.

In the report Manicom said expenses have totally $1.1 million so far in 2008, revenue has totaled approximately $1.2 million so far. Both are about 50 per cent of the total budget.

Directors had only one concern about the report: provincial grants owed to the Authority.

Director Mark Wunderlich immediately pointed out that provincial grants paid to the Authority through the end of June totally $2,998 of an estimated $246,367.

"Are they not prompt in paying those grants?" Wunderlich asked Manicom.

The CAO's response was simple.

"No," he said. "According to policy the grants are supposed to be made available by March. This is now August," he said.

Manicom said Conservation Authorities would protest the late payment of their grants at their next Conservation Ontario meeting.

"A letter will go out after that meeting and then we'll receive (the grants)," he said.

CA Chair Dick Hibma said the late payment issue was normal operating procedure for the provincial government.

"It's a chronic issue, year after year after year, it's the same," he said.

Wunderlich brought forward a resolution to write a letter to the Ministry to inform them of the situation.

"This drives me nuts. We're expected to follow our budget," he said.

His resolution received support from the rest of the Board and will be sent to the government.
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In other financial business, the Conservation Authority will receive $4,280 from Grey County for land the county is purchasing to widen County Road 40 near Walter's Falls.

The county needs to purchase .80 acres of land from the Conservation Authority's Walters Creek Management Area in order to complete the road widening work on County Road 40. CA staff told the Board of Directors the land being sold would have little impact on the Authority's property.

Currently the property in question is divided by a hydro corridor located 10 metres off of County Road 40.

It is Grey County policy to pay $5,100 per acre for land it acquires for such purposes.