Council held a special public meeting on Jan. 27 for the public to voice its thoughts and concerns about the town’s proposed five-year capital plan.
Mayor Allan Alls opened the standing-room-only meeting by saying “this is a strategic look at the needs of Erin for the future, both near and further out.
“We fully understand that we cannot do everything this year and perhaps even in the five-year plan,” he continued.
“It is the object of this council to bring taxes to the best level we can for our residents considering the immense challenges we face.”
A new five-year capital plan is being developed at this time, not only because of the new council but also because four major studies going into the capital plan have just been completed, said Larry Wheeler, financial analyst for the town.
Those studies include the Development Charges Background Study 2014, Asset Management Plan 2013, State of the Infrastructure – Roads 2013 and Ontario Structures Inspections Summary 2013.
At the meeting, community members cited concerns about the need to distinguish the difference between the town’s wants and needs, questions about tax increases and distribution, the need for council to treat tax money as they would their own and a better plan for the future than the town has seen in recent years.
“I would like to suggest that council draw up a master plan of the needs and wants – identify, prioritize them and find ways to fund them,” said resident Anna Spiteri.
She added she was against the need to borrow any more money, “I strongly suggest that we look within the operating system for efficiencies and savings and prioritize our needs before we take the drastic step of borrowing.”
Resident Laurie Davis agreed prioritizing is key.
“I think the most important thing when you’re asking people for their money is to let them know what you’re going to do with it and why,” Davis said.
Another common theme was that Wellington County receives more than half of total residential tax dollars. Community members felt strongly that the town wasn’t getting enough of the pot and something needed to be done about it.
Joe Spiteri encouraged councillors to think of tax money as their own and create the budget in that frame of mind.
However, not all citizens were so focused on visible outcomes and tangible results. For Don Chambers, his priority was maintaining the quality of the town in whatever way necessary.
“Some of us at least would be open to doing things that are in the best interest of the community for the long haul that may or may not look like it’s going to return money to us directly,” said Chambers.
As it stands, the proposed five-year capital plan contains 196 projects in the early draft presented on Jan. 20. Those were condensed to 34 projects in the proposed capital budget sent out prior to the public meeting.
General government
In total, the proposed budget for general government for 2015 is $289,167, up from $111,700 in 2014. Over the full five-year plan the department has a proposed budget of $534,549.
Fire
The proposed budget for fire in 2015 is $448,069, down from last year’s $766,891. Over five years it is proposed that fire be allocated $1,736,443, primarily for vehicle replacement.
Alls explained in order to remain accredited by insurance companies the municipality is required to follow certain guidelines, including the possibility of buying a new pumper truck because the current vehicle is out of date. If the accreditation is not given, the insurance for individuals living in the town will increase.
Councillor Rob Smith said it is the hidden costs, like insurance, that need to be considered when looking at capital projects of this sort.
Roads
The proposed budget for roads in 2015 is $8,932,966, up from 2014 which was $1,850,112. The proposed budget for roads over the five-year plan is $21,798,703.
“We’re at about two thirds roads and so is the county,” Wheeler said. So this portion is thought to be on par with other parts of the county.”
While having all of the bridges and culverts open within the municipality is a positive, it likely means the town will not receive any grants for maintenance, Wheeler said. “We’re unlikely to be successful because ours just aren’t that bad.”
Water
In 2015, it is proposed that $2,097,658 go towards water projects. This is up from last year’s budget of $1,319,420. In total it is proposed that $10,706,773 be put towards water in the five-year capital plan.
Environmental
The only year with an environmental budget in the five-year capital plan is 2015, at $1,004,580. This is up from the $120,000 allocation in 2014.
Hillsburgh Community Centre
The proposed budget for the Hillsburgh Community Centre in 2015 is $257,899, up from $8,700 in 2014. The total proposed allocation over five years is $509,156.
Erin Community Centre
Similarly, the proposed budget for the Erin Community Centre is also up – from $72,300 in 2014 to $106,323 this year. Overall, for the five-year capital plan, the proposed budget is $482,292.
Centre 2000
There was no change between the 2015 proposed budget and the 2014 budget for Centre 2000: $20,000. Over five years the proposed budget is $311,000.
Hillsburgh ball parks
There was also little change from last year in the proposed budget for the Hillsburgh Ball Parks. The proposed budget for 2015 is $30,000 (last year it was $31,000). Over five years the budget is $226,600.
General recreation, Ballinafad Community Centre, tennis, planning
In total the five-year capital plan proposes upgrades for the Ballinafad Community Centre ($35,000), tennis courts ($100,000) and planning costs ($25,000 for a traffic study). There is no proposed budget for general recreation.
At the meeting’s conclusion, councillor Jeff Duncan encouraged citizens to look into programs that provide tax relief for landowners. He also encouraged citizens to report any infractions they see to the police.
“If anybody ever has any incidents in town, even if they’re minor … don’t be shy about calling them in,” he said.
“Make a report … because those reports are what basically dictate the amount of police services we get coming back to the Town of Erin.”
Councillor Matt Sammut encouraged citizens to be patient throughout the budget process, saying that it won’t remain this high.
“A lot of it’s been pushed out,” Sammut said. “So it’s not as if it’s been front-ended … in a lot of cases it’s items that have been there for years that have been brought forward saying that this is important.”
Sammut also stressed that debt is not always a negative.
“Debt sometimes makes a lot of sense,” he explained. “It’s deferred over the life of the asset and remember interest rates are at historical lows.
“And debt also positions us as a municipality … that we’d be in a better position to potentially get grants.”
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Kathryn Ironmonger said the proposed five-year capital plan is a starting point to identify areas of concern and it doesn’t mean the town will necessarily adopt this list as the final budget.
“I think it’s important for the public to understand these are our challenges that we are dealing with,” she said.
“That $13 million (2015 draft budget) is not what we’re going to be ending up with but at least you have an understanding of what the challenges are that we’re facing.”
Alls said he hopes to address the concerns and questions brought up at the meeting through a newsletter in the near future.
