Not only did Bradford West Gwillimbury councillors approve the tax-funded Operating Budgets for the years 2020 through 2022 – the first time council had been presented with a three-year budget – they also approved the capital budget, outlining expenditures on infrastructure, debt management, fleet expansion, and various studies.
The Town has a 10-year capital plan, which proposes capital expenditures of $101 million over the coming decade, with about $7 million allocated in 2020 alone – projects funded in large part by Development Charges, Reserves and Reserve Funds, grants and other sources of revenue.
Council was warned that the combination of slower growth, reduction in Development Charges collected, and continued capital expenditures is depleting town reserves. The warning led councillors to question some projects, and cut approximately $121,000 from the proposals for 2020, reducing the Capital Budget to just under $6.964 million.
. Information Technology. The IT Capital budget includes $113,860 for IT infrastructure replacement – including $53,000 to replace 16 servers, on a seven-year cycle. One of those is the critical email server, due for replacement in 2020.
IT Manager Chris Harbour explained that the department also replaces about 35 laptops per year, across all divisions, on a four-year cycle – keeping the best to reuse.
Deputy Mayor James Leduc asked if the cycle could be stretched to five years. He was advised that “four is a responsible replacement standard,” since a longer cycle would increase the risk of computer failure.
. Community Services. Community Services is responsible for Leisure Services, Parks and Facilities, Water and Wastewater, Transportation, and Stormwater ponds.
The town has a patchwork of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) created by developers over the years, which will cost an estimated $200,000 in 2020, $470,000 in 2021, and $305,000 in 2022 to maintain or improve, funded through the Capital Replacement Reserve.
BWG is introducing new standards to ensure that all future SWMPs meet standards, but right now it’s “a big catch-up,” said Director Terry Foran, to comply with provincial regulations - although, he said, “we’re in really good shape, compared to a lot of municipalities.”
The biggest cost will come in 2028, with the conversion of a dry to a wet pond. The $2.2 million project may be eligible for grants.
Coun. Gary Lamb suggested a levy on development, for the future maintenance of the ponds. “When a development corporation leaves town, they leave us with a problem… because these things fill up, and they have to be maintained.” He also suggested a “local improvement” tax on homeowners within the subdivisions, “so we may have some wherewithal to get things done.”
“One way or another, somebody’s paying,” said Foran.
Community Services presented a long list of expenditures, many relating to repairs and upgrades to aging facilities. The total comes to $421,000 in 2020 – including replacing half the roof at the St. Mary’s Hall, at a cost of $75,000, and $110,000 to fix the parking lot at the Danube Seniors Leisure Centre.
In 2021, expenditures include $112,500 in repairs at the Bob Fallis Sports Centre, and $25,000 in renovations at the historic Auld Kirk heritage site. One $20,000 item, for a vinyl gym floor cover, was pulled. “We simply have no storage space for such a cover,” council was told.
Deputy Mayor Leduc asked about purchasing removable flooring that could transform an ice rink surface into an auditorium space. He was told the cost is upwards of $600,000 for the insulated flooring, plus installation, and the cost of building new storage space for the flooring.
Parks capital expenditures total $1.76 million in 2020, $2.76 million in 2021, and $4.3 million in 2022, for various equipment, parks improvements, fleet and a $1 million expansion at Joe Magani Park – all to come from the Capital Replacement Reserve and DCs.
A $200,000 project to improve the laneway into Mt. Pleasant cemetery was questioned - until Manager of Parks and Property Mike O’Hare explained that the town purchased eight acres from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority to expand the 11.5 acre cemetery, 12 years ago, and now wants to open up the full property. The funding will create a circular road through what is currently heavy bush.
“There’s a lot more than just paving it,” O’Hare said.
Under Transportation, the town continues to add to its fleet, and propose extensive road and bridge rehabilitation - $246,002 for urban roads in 2020; $260,526 in 2021, and over $1.1 million for both urban and rural roads in 2022, all to come from the Capital Replacement Reserve.
Library. Councillors cut a proposed $35,000 expenditure for new sliding doors at the west side of the library building in 2021.
“Take a breath and step back on those doors,” Leduc told retiring Library CEO Terri Watman, until the library can assess the impact of the sliding doors installed on the east side of the building this year. “You’re going to see your heating costs escalate.”
Studies also fall under the Capital Budget, and BWG has a long list planned – including $80,000 in 2020 for a new Development Charges (DC) Background Study.
The study is needed because of recent changes to the Development Charges Act by the Provincial Government, council was told. Fire and Transit have been moved into the ‘hard services’ category, along with roads and water/wastewater, while ‘soft services’ like libraries, recreation and parks will fall into a new “community development charge.”
As of yet, there are no regulations for the soft services, and the town has no idea of what the legislation will look like, or “how that’s going to work,” noted treasurer Ian Goodfellow. A five-year update to the DCs for ‘hard services’ is scheduled for 2022, at a cost of $128,000.
The cost of both studies will be recoverable from Development Charges.
Also approved: an analysis of the Hwy. 400 employment lands in the northeast quadrant at County Road 88, an area of 10 acre lots, with “fragmented” ownership, said Economic Development Officer Michael Disano. The projected cost is $50,000, to come from DCs and Capital Expenditures.
Economic Development will also conduct an Industrial Land Strategy, in 2021, to create a “prioritized inventory” of industrial lands ready for development. The $50,000 cost would also come from DCs.
“We need to know who wants to be ready to invest,” said Deputy Mayor Leduc. “These are important studies.”
Fire & Emergency Services were approved for $100,000, for a Fire Master Plan Study and a Community Risk Assessment, with funding to come from DCs – but only after a lengthy debate.
Mayor Rob Keffer asked if the study could be put off for a year.
He was advised by Deputy Fire Chief Olaf Lamerz that a Fire Master Plan Study is already overdue, last updated in 2013. Since then, the town has seen rapid growth, new home construction and escalating values – with new construction planned in Bond Head and the Highway 400 corridor.
“Once the building starts it’s going to put us behind the eight-ball,” Lamerz said. With a delay, “by the time it comes back, we’ve got a number of projects underway.” He explained that the Community Risk Assessment is a separate look at vulnerable areas, as mandated by the province.
Leisure Services was approved for a Leisure Services Master Plan study in 2021, at a cost of $75,000 – without debate – but a Space Needs Study was scrapped, at the department’s recommendation.
And the Library Strategic Plan, a $58,000 item, was cut. “I believe the library has enough talent to do this themselves,” said Coun. Lamb, asking staff to take the plan “in house.”
Development & Engineering proposed a $65,000 Affordable Housing Strategy study and $25,000 Design Criteria Manual Update in 2020; in 2021, the department will undertake a $100,000 Zoning By-law Review, and $80,000 Townwide Urban Design Guideline study.
Council was in support, but switched the timing on the Affordable Housing and Urban Design Guideline studies, moving the latter to 2020 to immediately look at issues like the transition between new and old infrastructure, road design and on-street parking.
“We’re building a new subdivision every six months and we’re not addressing those things,” said Coun. Lamb. “This urban design guideline should be a made-in-BWG plan… There are lots of good ideas. We just have to marshal them all, and make it a perfect community.”
“We don’t want it consultant driven, we want it Gary Lamb driven?” said Mayor Keffer, agreeing, “This could be the most important document this council has a part of.”
It was suggested that the Economic Development studies, and a $65,000 Streamlining the Development Process Review for the planning department could be covered by the Town’s Modernization Grant; however, those funds were allocated in the Operating Budget.
The town continues to deplete its DC Reserves – and to borrow from its own Reserve Funds, to meet shortfalls. Council was assured that the “borrowed” funds will be recovered, including interest, from future DCs. They were also told that it is the Special Capital Levy, which this year accounts for seven percent of the total property tax bill, that replenishes the Capital Replacement Reserve.
Councillors were presented with several new multi-year projects, that would have the effect of more than doubling the 10-year cost projections. They included a proposed $107.7 million redevelopment at 125 Simcoe Rd., that would include a new administration building – if the town gets a $54.7 million infrastructure grant.
“If that does not materialize, we actually adjust the scope of that project,” said CAO Geoff McKnight.
