Wheatland County has decided to donate $35,000 to the Strathmore Handi Bus Association this year.

The funds were included in the 2019 approved operating budget for the county.

In the future at a Committee of the Whole meeting, county council will be discussing a clarified process for how it deals with recommendations for funding made by committees.

Wheatland County provided a breakdown of past donations to the Strathmore Handi Bus since 2014.

Councillor Jason Wilson gave council a breakdown of the handi-bus finances and usage for the year.

He explained that this year wages for staff also went up.

“Just with the increase of wages brought up by the town it was a tough year. We actually increased fees across the board this year, just to try make up for the higher expenses,” he said.

The handi-bus relies heavily on donations and grant funding.

The handi-bus was used 1046 times this year.

There are roughly 602 clients of the handi-bus, with about 45 as residents of the county.