City council addressed three grant-in-aid applications at a budget meeting on March 31 that had been deferred for more information.

Council decided to give the Nicola Valley Community Arts Council $4,000 of the $7,000 it requested for day-to-day operations.

Assistant financial services manager Ben Currie suggested council fund half of an in-kind request made by the Merritt Secondary School grad committee for rental of the Civic Centre for the graduation dance contingent on School District 58 funding the other half.

Council decided not to fund half of the rental cost by a vote of 5-1.

A request for a grant-in-aid of $7,000 by the Tumbleweed Playschool was withdrawn after the organization received a gaming grant. Currie told the Herald the play school applied for a grant from the city because they initially thought they wouldn’t receive the gaming grant this year.