In the story “Cadets request lease agreement for Houston community hall,” published in the Houston Today July 19, 2017 issue, the Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corp #3020 requested a lease agreement from the District of Houston for the use of the community hall commencing Sept. 1, 2017 until Aug. 31, 2020. It was also requested that a grant of assistance from the District of Houston would be given to the cadets in the amount of $2525 per year for the duration of the lease. The army cadets would cover $800 per year plus applicable taxes.
At the Aug. 1, 2017 District of Houston council meeting, council agreed to grant the lease and the grant of assistance to the army cadets.
Commencing in September 2017, the army cadets will continue to use the community hall for regular practice twice a week and have an office space in the basement, which they have been utilizing for the past few years at the annual fee of $800 for the office and army cadet practices.
The grant of assistance of $2525 had to be provided by the District of Houston because through a review from district staff, under the leisure services user rates and fees bylaws, non-profit user groups are required to pay a rate of $25 per hour.
District staff reported that the $800 the army cadets have been paying since 2009 has been a discount unauthorized by the bylaw, allowing the community hall to be leased at an hourly rate of $10 per hour, which was the former bylaw rate before 2009.
“The legal advice we received in relation to Four Seasons park was that a lease did not allow you to circumvent your bylaw. In order to do so you would have to establish that ability within your own fee in the bylaw,” said Gerald Pinchbeck, Corporate Service Officer for the District of Houston.
So in order to give the army cadets the same rate of $10 per hour at the annual fee of $800, council had to resolve to provide a grant of assistance.
Pinchbeck clarified that the grant of assistance would cover the difference of whatever the rate is. So that if the amount changes in the future, the grant of assistance will reflect that change as well.