Council News (Jan/Feb 2023)
A snapshot of what's happening in council chambers around Waterloo Region
The last several weeks have focused on municipal budgets. Most local councils have decided on their budgets for 2023, but not everyone. In fact, I am sending out this week’s post today (instead of Friday) because I want to remind everyone that Regional Council is meeting today to finalize their budget. You can see the agenda for the Strategic Planning and Budget Committee meeting here (which starts at 11am). There is also a regular Council meeting at 7pm. Given those meetings are happening today, let’s start with Council updates at the Regional level.
Region of Waterloo:
There has been a lot of discussion at the Region about transit. Those discussions include: increasing transit service hours, increasing transit fares, and removing two low-ridership routes (#2 and #73). Earlier this month, one delegation, Rick Chambers (representing the Waterloo Region Age Friendly Network), encouraged council to approve free transit for children (under 12) and free transit days for seniors. We shall see how Council decides on those issues today.
Regional Council also recently heard an update about the proposed transit hub at King and Victoria. Phase one of that project was originally scheduled to begin in 2020, but is now expected to begin later this year. Phase one work includes: moving services, realigning tracks, and building platforms. The cost for the hub has increased by $23.9 million dollars from the last estimate. The total costs for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 now come to $130 million.
I have written a lot about the police budget already (here and here), but I want to note that after Councillor Deutschmann’s original motion to reject the current police budget concluded with a tie vote (resulting in the motion failing), Deutschmann has put forth a new motion which essentially asks council to shave $1 million off the $214 million proposed police budget. “Deutschmann’s reasoning is because the new officers’ salaries are factored into the budget beginning Jan. 1, but they won’t be hired until at least April 1, approving the proposed budget as is will leave the service with a $1 million surplus.” That motion will be discussed at today’s 11am Committee meeting.
Regional Council is also considering what to do with the many funding requests they receive from community organizations and services. Earlier this month, “Council voted to refer a slew of requests (from various organizations supporting those experiencing homelessness) totaling $1.85 million to the final budget debate on Feb. 22. The requests would increase funding by up to $1.2 million in 2023 and by an additional $653,000 in 2024.” Council heard from another 30+ delegations at their second public input session, and many of those delegations were also asking for some level of funding from the Region. I find it difficult to see how challenging it is for these small organizations to access ongoing funding, while at the same time, we seemingly rubber stamp every police budget increase, year after year. It’s worth noting that if Council approves the $1.85 million requested to support housing and homelessness organizations, that would be equivalent to about a 0.3% tax increase. The police budget increase is equivalent to a 7.2% property tax increase.
Setting aside the police budget, I tend to agree with Mayor McCabe’s assessment of the overall tax increase, “We deliver the services and programs that the community is demanding and asking for. It’s a lot of service, a lot of important service that people get for approximately (an additional) $200 a year.”
Kitchener:
On February 2nd, Kitchener approved a 4.84% property tax increase which represents an additional $56.10 on the tax bill for the average home (assessed at $326,000). “A previously-approved increase to water rates means an additional $42 a year for an average home, for a total increase of $98.10 for the average household.”
In 2022, Kitchener’s taxes rose by just 1.99%. Yet, this year’s 4.84% increase is still well below the current rate of inflation. However, as Mayor Vrbanovic states, “Every time we’re under the rate of inflation, we’re actually cutting back.”
Other (non-budget) issues that have come to council recently include Kitchener receiving certification from the World Council on City Data (WCCD) for achieving WCCD’s ISO 37120 Certification at the highest platinum level. This standard was developed especially for cities and contains 104 indicators across 19 themes and measures city services and quality of life.
Council also heard from Compass Kitchener about community priorities for the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. Those priorities are as follows:
housing affordability
belonging
welcoming and inclusive community
support for newcomers
environmental sustainability
urban growth
how we move around the city
public engagement
I attended the above Council meeting in-person, and you can read my Twitter summary here.
Upcoming: At the February 27th Kitchener Council meeting, it was expected that council would discuss the proposal for Becker St (potentially resulting in three houses being demolished) to create a parking lot. That has once again been deferred. It should now be on the March 20th agenda.
Waterloo:
Waterloo also passed its budget earlier this month. That budget totaled $92.7 million which translates to a 5.45% property tax increase. That represents an increase to an average household of $76 per year in property taxes. While most budget items passed unanimously, a motion by Councillor Vasic for additional funding for affordable housing failed. Vasic “put the motion forward for an additional $100,000 on top of the $175,000 that's already in the budget per year. This would've added 0.11 per cent to the tax increase, which city staff said would cost households $1.61 annually.” While I understand that housing does not technically fall under the mandate of municipalities, it pains me to think for such a small increase per household, there would have been more available funding for affordable housing initiatives.
Fortunately, at their January 23rd meeting, Waterloo Council approved an additional $130,000 “to address different aspects of housing and homelessness. The additional money will be spent in a number of areas, including: encampment supports and cleanup; street outreach, partnerships, and support; service provider operations, neighbourhood supports, and more.”
Waterloo Council also directed staff to review and report back before June 2023 on possible sidewalk snow clearing improvements for consideration as part of the 2024-2026 budget process.
Upcoming: No, it’s not déjà vu. Even though Waterloo Council had recently approved residential street speed reductions to 30km/hr, on February 27th they are discussing whether to implement that earlier decision. It’s worth noting that “traffic planners are now recommending that busier streets be kept at 40 km/h or higher, outside of school speed zones.” You can contact Waterloo councillors if you want to have your say on this issue (again).
Cambridge:
Last week, Cambridge settled on a tax increase of 4.7%. However, Council “delayed a final vote on the budget, after discussing a motion from Coun. Scott Hamilton to increase taxes by an additional 1.5 per cent because of Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.”
While a final budget has not been approved, many budget items were approved, including the decision to rebuild the Riverside Dam at a cost of over $19 million. When I heard this, I started to dig into the history of whether to rebuild or naturalize that space. I have found it very interesting and to be honest, I’m disappointed that they decided to rebuild the deteriorating dam rather than to naturalize it. I hope to have a post on this soon, but if you have thoughts about the Riverside Dam decisions, please feel free to connect with me!
As part of the budget, Cambridge Council also approved:
$50,000 to continue summer road closures for business patios;
A snow lift crew to clean up plowed snow on curb-facing sidewalks at a cost of $390,000;
A public art contest to commemorate Cambridge’s 50th anniversary at a cost of $250,000, coming from the public art reserve;
Accounting for higher-than-expected living wages for staff at a cost of $200,300
Similar to Waterloo, Cambridge also plans on conducting a feasibility study on the costs of clearing all city sidewalks.
Townships:
Wellesley residents apparently had some concerns about the township’s 2023 budget, which will see the average property tax bill increase by ~$180. As outlined in the Record, “Residents packed council chambers to standing room only earlier this month, demanding answers on a 14 per cent tax hike, more than half of which is to pay for the Wellesley Recreation Complex.”
In December 2021, the Wellesley Recreation Complex was approved at a cost of about $27.1 million. While recent budget deliberations focused on a 6.2% property tax increase, that did not include an additional 7.7% increase in costs related to the recreation complex.
In Wilmot, budget deliberations are expected to continue into March. “A third ice pad and follow up on the controversial Prime Ministers Path project aren’t off the table, Wilmot council and staff indicated at a meeting Monday.”
Meanwhile, Woolwich councillors voted to approve an 8.5% increase, adding about $84.32 to the tax bill of an average home.
In North Dumfries, council decided on an increase of 5%, adding about $48.15 to the tax bill (with an assessed value of $372,300).