Simcoe County councillors propose 0.5 per cent budget cut

No time to mess around on garbage issue
By Kate Harries AWARE Simcoe January 15 2010
Simcoe County councillors, meeting in committee, have shaved a half percentage point off the 2011 cost to local taxpayers.
The revised $355 million budget, comprising a 1.5 per cent levy increase compared to the 2 per cent proposed earlier, is scheduled to go to County Council for approval at its first regular meeting of the new year on January 25.
At each of the three standing committee meetings in the past week, CAO Mark Aitken provided a “clarification” of remarks made to the January 5 special council meeting (reported on this website). “In no way did I intend to imply that there wasn’t an opportunity for this council to make modifications to the 2011 budget,” he said, “either in details or in philosophy.”
The 0.5 per cent budget cut resulted from a decision Tuesday by members of the human services committee to take a surplus that resulted when the province agreed to reimburse the County for part of the 2010 Ontario Works administration costs.
The HS committee applied the $456,000 amount to the social housing reserve, allowing a 0.5 per cent levy reduction.
Cutback attempts by members of other committees were not successful. On Wednesday, the corporate services committee voted 6-2 to defeat a motion from Gerry Marshall (Penetanguishene) and Stephan Kramp (Midland) to defer a $1 million item allowing for the purchase of land for a new transfer station in South Simcoe.
Committee chair Ken Ferguson (Clearview) argued forcefully against delays in dealing with any garbage issue because of the urgency of coming up with solutions. “I have three sites in my area that are going to be full in seven years,” he said. “We have to come up with some solutions. We need resources to operate and divert. If we fail in that, we fail the taxpayer.”
At Thursday’s performance management committee meeting, Midland Mayor Gord McKay asked for a report on the County’s reserve accounts with a detailing of which reserves are required by legislation and which offer more flexibility.
CAO Mark Aitken noted that the human services committee had already asked for a report on the amount of interest in various reserve funds, so the details requested by McKay would be added.
McKay asked whether the report will be ready in time for discussion in advance of the January 25 council meeting at which the budget is supposed to be passed.
That won’t be possible, committee chair Basil Clarke (Ramara) said, explaining later that the report can’t be prepared until the request is endorsed by the same Jan. 25 meeting.
McKay noted that the various committees have asked for budget-related information that is “material enough to affect the final result. As a voting member I have some discomfort at not being fully informed.”
Warden Cal Patterson (Wasaga Beach) replied that it will be up to county council to decide – and they can call for a delay of a month, or two months, before final approval. However, he said he was comfortable with the 1.5 per cent increase to the levy.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor Doug White said any delay in approving the budget would result in extra costs (for instance in tendering for road works).
A 1.5 per cent hike in property taxes is reasonable, he said. “If the number was unreasonable, I’d be the first to say, let’s take a time out and revisit everything.”
The levy (the portion paid by the local taxpayer) is increasing even though the overall County budget is smaller than in 2010. That’s because significant elements subsidized by other levels of government have been removed, affecting both sides of the ledger.  For instance, last year, the province uploaded the Ontario Works program, and the federal infrastructure stimulus funding comes to an end this spring.
2011 draft budget summmary      
2011 draft budget
Last July, AWARE Simcoe raised the alarm about the high debt-to-operating revenue over the next 10 years that, according to the county’s own projections, would lead to a downgrading of the county’s present “AA” credit rating in 2012 (see page 23 of the 2010 strategic plan).
In other matters:
$200,000 to Hospice Simcoe
The human services committee made a one-time capital grant of $200,000 to Hospice Simcoe, to be funded from interest earned from the Hospital Alliance reserve.
Site 41 not sold yet
The draft budget includes $1.6 million from the sale of Site 41 and two other properties that are not in Tiny Township, Environmental Services Director Rob McCullough said in response to questioning from Tiny Deputy Mayor George Lawrence. No sale has occurred yet, McCullough said.
Clear plastic garbage bags
Stephan Kramp wants a comparison of diversion resulting from the use of clear plastic bags versus increased waste education programs in schools.
Rogue committees of adjustment in Springwater, Oro-Medonte
Kramp also proposed education for members of local municipal committees of adjustment after noticing two items on the agenda regarding decisions that the County has had to challenge because they violate municipal and provincial law, thus costing taxpayers money for no useful reason. Planning Director Bryan MacKell said that the committees in question – the Oro-Medonte and the Springwater committees of adjustment – often make problematic decisions. MacKell said he anticipated these two specific matters (one involving impact on a wetland, the other a matter of land set aside for road widening) would be resolved without the need for Ontario Municipal Board hearings.
Waste management sub-committee
Performance management committee members passed over Gord McKay as their nominee to the county’s waste management sub-committee, voting instead for Adjala-Tosorontio Deputy Mayor Mary Brett. Brett, part of her township’s efforts in controlling waste (diversion days, the one-bag limit since 2001), looks to be an asset to the committee. George Lawrence and Ramara Mayor Bill Duffy have been nominated by the two other standing committees and Patterson and Ferguson are ex officio members as warden and corporate services committee chair. 
But McKay is a founding member and chair of Zero Waste Simcoe. As a member of last year’s waste strategy committee, he took a key leadership role in the crafting of the county’s waste management strategy. He knows the players at Queen’s Park. His expertise and commitment is uncontestable. For him not to be a member of the waste sub-committee would be a huge mistake. Hopefully county council will appoint him and also provide for citizen membership of this committee. Simcoe County needs to move quickly to engage the community on the garbage issue. There’s no time to mess around.
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