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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 13, 2023 - Budget Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 1 Present: Mayor Kevin Ashe Councillors: M. Brenner S. Butt L. Cook M. Nagy D. Pickles L. Robinson Also Present: M. Carpino - Chief Administrative Officer K. Bentley - Director, City Development & CBO P. Bigioni - Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor S. Boyd - Fire Chief S. Douglas-Murray - Director, Community Services B. Duffield - Director, Operations J. Eddy - Director, Human Resources J. Flowers - CEO & Director of Public Libraries, Pickering Public Library R. Holborn - Director, Engineering Services F. Jadoon - Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects S. Karwowski - Director, Finance & Treasurer S. Cassel - City Clerk M. Guinto - Division Head, Public Affairs & Corporate Communication J. Halsall - Division Head, Finance V. Plouffe - Division Head, Operations Services R. Perera - Deputy Clerk D. Munns - Senior Budget & Financial Analyst 1. Roll Call The City Clerk certified that all Members of Council were present and participating in- person. 2. Disclosure of Interest 2.1 Councillor Brenner declared a conflict of interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act with respect to salaries and wages and employee benefits in the 2023 Current Budget for Community Services Department, Programs and the Corporate Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 2 Services Department, Animal Services, as he has family members employed in these areas. Councillor Brenner declared a conflict of interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act with respect to Grants to Organizations for PARA Marine Search & Rescue, as he is the Chair of the PARA Marine Search & Rescue. Councillor Brenner did not take part in the discussion or vote on these matters. 2.2 Councillor Cook declared a conflict of interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act with respect to Grants to Organizations for Royal Canadian Legion Branch 606, as she is a volunteer for the Legion. Councillor Cook did not take part in the discussion or vote on this matter. Mayor Ashe provided opening remarks and commended staff for their work on the 2023 budget. 3. Delegations 3.1 David Sim, Pickering Resident Re: The City’s Use of Casino Revenues David Sim, Pickering Resident, appeared before the Committee to speak to the City’s use of casino revenues. Mr. Sim stated that property tax was his largest single expense and spoke to the need to use alternate funding sources, such as casino revenues, to keep property taxes as low as possible. He noted that there was a small increase to property taxes in 2022, that the City had used reserves to offset any increases, and asked whether there were plans to replenish the reserve funds. Mr. Sim added that he preferred the use of casino revenues as opposed to the use of reserve funds to offset property taxes. He suggested that public surveys for the annual budget needed to include an option for residents to indicate that they did not want a certain service in addition to the ability to rank services. He expressed his content with sharing costs with partners whenever possible, and the additional Committees of Council that had been established as it encouraged residents to get involved and contribute to the City. Mr. Sim noted the restrictions in the composition of certain committee membership requirements and stated that committee membership should allow for all residents to join. He further discussed creating consistency regarding the issuing of stipends and stated that all or none should receive a stipend. Mr. Sim noted that Council had chosen option D for the City Centre design and expressed his concern with cost increases associated with the option and the associated impacts to property taxes. Mr. Sim also discussed the impact of legislative changes related to development fees and noted that when Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 3 he had contacted his local MPP, he had indicated that the impact to local municipalities would be minimal but that he was not entirely convinced of that. A brief question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and Mr. Sim regarding the use of casino funds for development projects and the use of naming rights partnerships to share costs with partners. Mr. Sim stated that he would share the response with the MPP with Mayor Ashe so that it could be shared with all Members of the Committee. 3.2 Adrian Patrascu, Pickering Resident Re: Priorities for the 2023 City Budget Adrian Patrascu, Pickering Resident, joined the meeting via audio connection, to speak to the priorities for the 2023 Budget. Mr. Patrascu stated that the funds allocated for infrastructure should be increased and asked that the property taxes be kept to a minimum. 3.3 Shafiq Patel, Pickering Resident Re: Allocation of Budget for Increased Recreation Services and Windrow Snow Removal Shafiq Patel, Pickering Resident, joined the meeting via audio connection to speak to the allocation of budget for increased recreational services and concerns pertaining to snow removal. Mr. Patel spoke to the difficulty in registering his children into swimming programs as the program capacity was reached within minutes of registration opening. He discussed the need to account for the population growth as it relates to recreation services, as parents with multiple children were finding it very difficult to register more than one child in programs with similar time slots. He further discussed the need to increase communication when recreational services were being offered so that all residents were aware of the new services. Mr. Patel concluded his delegation by stating that the City needed to think outside the box when it came to snow removal to look at ways to clear snow differently, especially on narrow streets, to alleviate traffic issues in the winter months and added that he was asking the City to consider allocating funds for better snow removal without negatively impacting property taxes. A brief question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and Mr. Patel regarding the number of proposed new parks and recreational facilities in the Capital Budget and greater by-law enforcement for cars parked on the roads during snow events. 4. Presentations Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 4 4.1 Presentation by the Chief Administrative Officer and the Director, Finance & Treasurer with respect to the 2023 Current and Capital Budgets Marisa Carpino, Chief Administrative Officer, stated that the 2023 budget proposed a 2.44% levy increase and spoke to the City’s responsibility to build infrastructure to accommodate the future growth in Pickering. She discussed the importance of maintaining the City’s inventory of aging infrastructure and allocating annual funds to maintain the facilities. Ms. Carpino stated that the proposed new staffing positions were included in the Budget to accommodate the levels of service and growth and noted the need for additional office space to accommodate the new staff. Ms. Carpino also highlighted the City’s first Corporate Strategic Plan which was currently underway and thanked staff for their work to prepare the recommended 2023 Budget. Stan Karwowski, Director, Finance & Treasurer, appeared before the Committee, and through the use of a PowerPoint presentation, outlined the various facets of the 2023 Budget. He discussed the City’s infrastructure investments and funding challenges for both new and existing City facilities, the proposed new Capital Facilities Team, the number of new staffing requests, and the need for additional office space. He discussed the significant sources of revenue changes and noted the 2023 proposed budget included a revenue increase of 3.34% and a 2.44% increase to the property tax rate. He further discussed the increase to building maintenance and fuel costs, provided a breakdown of the use of the casino reserves, the daily costs of municipal services, the details regarding the City’s debt, the strategy for the 2024 budget, and the financial strategy to measure the City’s social conscience. A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • the funds allocated to address the cost impacts of Bill 23; • the maintenance and depreciation of City buildings; • the recruitment strategy that would be undertaken for the proposed new staff positions; • partnering with the Region of Durham to obtain volume price discounts for fuel; • whether assistance from the Province with regards to effects of Bill 23 would alleviate the need to use casino revenues; • clarification that the City had absorbed the inflation rates in past budgets; • the strategy that the City currently had in place to retain the existing workforce; • the number of proposed front-line staff positions included in the 2023 budget; Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 5 • ensuring that the Office of Affordability was funded through the Planning Fees revenues; • whether new fees could be introduced later in the year without the need to reopen the Budget; • whether the fuel costs factored in electric vehicles and receiving an update on the acquisition of electrical vehicles; • ensuring that road infrastructure was a high priority and the need to move forward on road projects; • correspondence received from a resident regarding playgrounds and ensuring that the construction of playgrounds was a priority and considered through an accessibility and inclusivity lens; • the current split between the City’s residential and non-residential tax base; • the impact of the innovation corridor on the residential and the non- residential tax base; • clarification regarding the City’s debt level and how the City is positioned in regards to the Annual Repayment Limit (ARL); • the need for the Region of Durham to consider a social conscience grant program when it comes to the Seniors and Persons with Disabilities property tax grant program offered by the City of Pickering; • whether there would be basketball courts at the Pickering Soccer Dome Centre, along with the proposed pickleball and futsal courts; • whether the implementation of a property tax portal would reduce the number of staff needed; • whether desk sharing could be used in conjunction with the City’s hybrid work program to account for limited office spacing and whether common areas could be transformed into workspace areas; • looking at the options for the materials used to repair City roads to increase the lifespan of the repair and the road; • the remaining percentage of buildable vacant land in the innovation corridor; and, • details regarding the outstanding capital projects and providing this information to the public. Councillor Brenner left the meeting at 11:30 a.m. It was the consensus of the Committee to take a recess. Committee recessed at 11:42 a.m. and reconvened at 12:24 p.m. 5. Matters for Consideration 5.1 Review and Recommendations of the 2023 Capital Budget Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 6 A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • options to minimize costs associated with the proposed drinking water replacement for Greenwood Community Centre and the Greenwood library; • costs associated with the maintenance of the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex; • timelines to complete the renovations in the Council Chambers and the ability to conduct electronic Council and Committee meetings during the renovation period; • plans for the electrification of City’s fleet services; • whether the City would be considering the use of electric fire trucks in the future; • the number of asphalt hotboxes that the City currently owns and whether the proposed two new asphalt hotboxes were to replace existing ones; • status of land transactions with Infrastructure Ontario as it relates to parks and whether pre-budget approval would be needed for equipment for the Claremont Memorial Park; • differences between the two new positions in Corporate Services and City Development departments as it relates to the Digital Readiness Strategy; • whether there would be community engagement on the Digital Readiness Strategy; • possibility of including funds in the 2023 Capital Budget for the installation of covered stadium seating in the Rick Johnson Memorial Park; • whether the City could collaborate with the Region of Durham on the traffic signal installation at Rosebank Road and Woodsmere Crescent and the timelines for when the project would be completed; • timelines for traffic light installations on Lane Street, Salem Road and Fifth Concession Road, and Major Oaks Road and Wildwood Crescent; • the new roads that would be included in the Budget Report that would be presented to Council on April 24, 2023 which include Petunia Place, Gwendolyn Street, Falconcrest Drive, and Fuschia Lane • whether there were drainage improvements planned for Joseph Street; • whether traffic calming initiatives were included in the 2023 Capital Budget for Roads Projects; and, • whether certain projects included in the 2023 Capital Budget for Development Projects (DC Funded) would be completed in coordination with the Region of Durham and the associated timelines and costs. Councillor Brenner returned to the meeting at 1:24 p.m. Moved by Councillor Butt Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 7 That the 2023 Capital Budget be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried 5.2 Review and Recommendations of the 2023 Current Budget Summary Office of the CAO Department Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the Office of the CAO Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Cherrywood Development Team A brief question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding the timelines for the hiring of the proposed Project Managers for City Development and Engineering Services. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the Cherrywood Development Team be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried New Capital Facilities Team A brief question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding the funding details for the Capital Facilities Team. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the New Capital Facilities Team be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Economic Development & Strategic Projects Department Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 8 A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • the amount of City funds that would be used for projects that qualify for grant funding; • how the success of the new staff positions would be measured; and, • whether the current staffing model allowed for the engagement of businesses on Kingston Road. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the Economic Development & Strategic Projects Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried City Development Department A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • timelines to implement the new staffing model to ensure that the City was prepared for the effects of Bill 23; and, • ensuring that the Office of Affordability was a distinct section in the City Development Department. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the City Development Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Community Services Department Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the Community Services Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023 save and except items related to salaries and wages and employee benefits for Programs. Carried Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 9 Having previously declared a conflict of interest, Councillor Brenner did not vote on the following item. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget items related to salaries and wages and employee benefits for Programs be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Operations Department A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • the number of new staff positions and the number of vacancies in existing positions; • whether there was sufficient staffing and equipment to complete maintenance work on the West side of the Beachfront Park prior to the Victoria Day long weekend and the additional work to replicate the East side of the Beachfront Park; and, • details regarding the funds allocated for outside agency services. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the Operations Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Corporate Services Department A brief question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • whether the proposed budget for Legal Services included sufficient resources to handle Ontario Land Tribunal Appeals; and, • whether there was funding flexibility in the salary being offered to attract the best candidate for the position of Associate Solicitor and to ensure that the City remains competitive with other organizations. Moved by Councillor Pickles Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 10 That the 2023 Current Budget for the Corporate Services Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023 save and except items related to salaries and wages and employee benefits for Animal Services. Carried Having previously declared a conflict of interest, Councillor Brenner did not vote on the following item. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget items related to salaries and wages and employee benefits for Animal Services be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Engineering Services Department A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • whether the staffing model allowed to proceed with any projects that were previously placed on hold; • ensuring that there was flexibility in the Budget to offer competitive salaries to attract suitable candidates or to outsource the work; and, • timelines for when work related to the sidewalk rehabilitation program would be completed. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the Engineering Services Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Finance Department A brief question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding whether there was an increase to this budget due to higher interest rates. Moved by Councillor Pickles Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 11 That the 2023 Current Budget for the Finance Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Fire Services Department A brief question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • details regarding the budget for outside agency services; • timelines for when Fire Hall 1 would be operational; • whether the members of the public would be able to use the community rooms located inside Fire Hall 1; and, • the resources that would be needed to accommodate future growth in the Pickering. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the Fire Services Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Human Resources Department Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for the Human Resources Department be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Library A question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • update on the Seaton community programs; • whether the libraries would have front facing staff; and, • whether there were funds in the budget to provide for upgrades to the George Ashe Community Centre Youth Room. Moved by Councillor Pickles Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 12 That the 2023 Current Budget for the Library be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried General Government – Revenue A brief question and answer ensued regarding the reasoning for the loss of POA revenues. Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for General Government – Revenue be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried General Government – Expenditure Excluding Budgets for Mayor, Councillors and Grants to Organizations Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for General Government – Expenditure Excluding budgets for Mayor, Councillors and Grants to Organizations be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Mayor Ashe Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for Mayor Ashe be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Councillor Brenner Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for Councillor Brenner be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 13 Carried Councillor Cook Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for Councillor Cook be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Councillor Pickles Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for Councillor Pickles be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Councillor Robinson Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for Councillor Robinson be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Councillor Nagy Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for Councillor Nagy be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Councillor Butt Moved by Councillor Cook Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 14 That the 2023 Current Budget for Councillor Butt be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Council Support Moved by Councillor Cook That the 2023 Current Budget for Council Support be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Grants to Organizations A brief question and answer period ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding the ability to provide accommodations to the Canadian Caribbean Cultural Association who had missed the deadline to submit their grant application. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget for Grants to Organizations, be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023 save and except items related to the PARA Marine Search & Rescue grant and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 606. Carried Having previously declared a conflict of interest, Councillor Brenner did not vote on the following item. Moved by Councillor Pickles That the 2023 Current Budget items related to the PARA Marine Search & Rescue grant be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Having previously declared a conflict of interest, Councillor Cook did not vote on the following item. Moved by Councillor Pickles Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 15 That the 2023 Current Budget items related to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 606 grants be approved and presented to Council on April 24, 2023. Carried Moved by Councillor Pickles That Council approve a grant in the amount of $336.00 to the Claremont Lions Club to be added to the 2023 Current Budget in General Government account 503040 and funded from contingency for the purpose of covering the cost of the event permit for the June 10th Community Fair Carried Moved by Councillor Pickles That Council approve a grant in the amount of $1,000.00 to Orchard Villa families to be added to the 2023 Current Budget in General Government account 503040 and funded from contingency for the purpose of covering the cost of a plaque to commemorate family members to be installed on a community bench or other appropriate location as part of the Reflections Garden in Esplanade Park. Carried 6. Other Business 6.1 Councillor Robinson stated that there was a need for work to be undertaken to reduce City expenditures and that she would be pursuing operational reviews to find greater savings and to reduce government overhead and economic risks to residents. 6.2 Councillor Butt raised the concerns expressed by a delegate regarding the lack of spacing for the City’s swimming programs. Sarah Douglas-Murray, Director, Community Services, advised that the shortage of programs was due to a shortage in qualified swim instructors due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that steps were being undertaken to address the shortage. 6.3 Councillor Brenner gave Notice of a Motion that he would be bringing forward regarding discussions with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) pertaining to the ability for the City to assume management of the Petticoat Creek Conservation Park in some capacity. Draft Executive Committee Budget Meeting Minutes April 13, 2023 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 9:00 am Chair: Mayor Ashe 16 7. Adjournment Moved by Councillor Nagy Seconded by Councillor Cook That the meeting be adjourned. Carried The meeting adjourned at 2:49 p.m.