Council Preview: May 8, 2019

If you would like to read the full agenda, you can do so here.

Closed Session

We have two items to handle in a closed session, including one related to Fire Inspection Services.

Delegations, Presentations & Petitions

Peter Simcisko of Watson & Associates Economists will be in attendance to present the 2019 Development Charges study. You can read the full draft report here.

Highlights:

  • Roughly $2.3M of the Fire Service’s $2.7M capital spend projected between 2019 and 2029 should be funded by development charges.
  • Approximately $3.9M of Community Service’s $11.9M projected capital spend over the next 10 years should be covered by development charges.
    • This large amount includes development of trails and parks, design and construction costs of new indoor and outdoor recreation space, a parks and recreation master plan, repayment of debt incurred for the Wellness Centre, and the recovery of previously unfunded growth-related costs.
  • For Administration, there is roughly $907,000 of capital projects to be completed between 2019-2029. Of that, $546,000 should be placed on development charges. These projects include development charge studies, official plan review, official plan amendments, zoning by-law review, and an asset management plan review.
  • In the Roads department, we are looking at $16M in gross capital costs, of which $8.5M can be attributed to growth, and therefore should be funded by development charges.
  • For the rest of Public Works, $4.2M out of the projected $7.2M in capital costs can be attributed to growth, and therefore should be funded by development charges.
    • Roads and Public Works includes a number of projects in Ward 4 including:
      • Oxbow Dr. W Rural (Amiens to 2000m east) between 2020-2022
      • Oxbow Dr. W Urban (Komoka Rd to 375m west) between 2020-2022
      • Oxbow Dr. E Rural (Union to Coldstream) between 2020-2022
      • Westbrook Dr (Stephen Moore to Kilworth Park Dr) in 2024
      • Jefferies Rd (Glendon to South Extent) – Upgrade from tar & chip to asphalt in 2024
      • Coldstream Rd (Oxbow Dr to Glendon Dr) in 2027
      • Glendon Drive (widen from 2 to 4 lanes, sidewalks) in 2025
  • No major additions to Water or Wastewater services.
  • The development charges calculated and proposed by Watson & Associates are:
    • $20,545 for a single detached or semi-detached dwelling
    • $13,155 for a 2+ bedroom apartment unit
    • $8,290 for a 1 bedroom/studio/bachelor apartment unit
    • $13,486 for other multi-unit residential (e.g. townhouse)
    • $61.86 per m² of gross floor area (e.g. commercial buildings)

Then, County Warden Kurtis Smith (also Mayor of Adelaide-Metcalfe) and County CAO Bill Rayburn will be before Middlesex Centre Council to discuss this item:

The administrative issue that has been brought to the attention of County Council is the fact that at the time this service was assumed by the County of Middlesex the documents provided in support of this transition by local municipalities were inadequate to substantiate a bona fide transfer of a service in accordance with the Municipal Act.

It seems we need to pass an additional resolution in order to reinforce that the County provides fire inspection services for Middlesex Centre. I imagine all parties will have something to say!

And finally, Sam McFarlane, the County’s Accessibility Coordinator, will present his role and responsibilities to Council.

Consent Agenda

We have the:

  • Budget to Actual spending report for April 2019
  • A detailed report from staff on all the benefits achieved from insourcing water and wastewater operations several years ago alongside potential benefits to outsourcing (e.g. research), but clearly illustrating the roughly $450,000 saved in 2017 from the insourcing
  • And staff are seeking approval for an amendment to the Ilderton Tim Hortons development agreement where the signage has been completely redesigned and significantly reduced in size. You can see the proposal below, on the right.

Staff Reports

  • Additional Fencing Projects
    • Since the enhanced backstop at Delaware Municipal Park’s baseball diamond came in significantly under budget, Scott Mairs is seeking to get some additional work done this year, ahead of schedule. They include:
      • A 4-foot black chain link to run alongside the new play structure at Delaware Municipal Park
      • Upgrade backstop at Delaware Lions Park
      • Upgrade backstop at Poplar Hill (west diamond)
  • Mark Muscott, a resident I’ve spoken to a number of times about the drainage behind some homes on Union Ave, has submitted a petition for drainage works. I’m happy to see this issue finally move forward.
  • And Beatrix Enter also has petitioned for drainage works to improve Bear Creek Municipal Drain Branch 4.

Correspondence

  • MPAC has released their 2018 report. You can find it here.
  • At the UTRCA meeting, it was revealed that the conservation authority purchased land previously owned by the Ministry of Transportation adjacent to the UTRCA-owned Lowthian Flats.
  • Minister Steve Clark’s letter regarding proposed changes to the Planning Act and Development Charges act are mostly normal things, but a few concerning statements around “facilitating faster decisions” and “reducing costs to build certain types of homes” are a little concerning. The devil is in the details of course.

And then we’ll be into by-laws! That covers this week’s coming meeting. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please let me know.