Sault Ste. Marie's proposed 2019 city budget includes $300,000 to eliminate last year's much-criticized summer service cutbacks at Sault Transit.
"This will enable summer service hours to be consistent with the remainder of the year," says a briefing document prepared for a budget meeting on Monday. "This was a significant complaint of transit users within the route optimization process and impacts quality of service."
Also included in the draft budget is a $4.05 million capital request for Sault Transit upgrades including bus replacements, new transit shelter and a northern transfer point.
Grant money will cover 73 per cent of the capital request, so the city's share is $1.1 million.
The draft budget also allocates $450,000 to Fire Services to begin the move to three fire stations from the present four-station deployment.
The previously approved fire master plan concluded that better coverage could be provided from just three stations.
The $450,000 allocation would cover project planning, project management, engineering, architectural services and property acquisition.
City councillors will meet on Monday and possibly on Tuesday to try to whittle down the proposed budget, which currently calls for a 3.57 per cent increase in municipal taxes.
Other new spending requests include:
- $600,000 for a new corporate phone system
- $75,000 for a new chief technology officer (half a year in 2019)
- $60,170 for a non-union support staffer to help with return-to-work functions
- $35,000 for close-captioning of City Council meetings
- $70,000 for a non-union staffer to monitor compliance in labourer-carpenter union issues, plus a related $50,000 increase in the labour relations budget
- $10,000 tto support Mayor Provenzano's Bawating advisory committee aimed at strengthening First Nations relations
- $26,060 to add a part-time cook and part-time interpreter at the Old Stone House. The new hires are considered necessary to meet additional traffic from cruise ships and bus tours
- $2,500 for better Canada Day fireworks
- $87,995 for a new bylaw enforcement officer to deal with property standard complaints and illegal signs
- $36,300 to continue the popular outdoor skating trail and Clergue Park
- $7,875 for a part-time cook at the Seniors Centre
- $800,000 to replace the deteriorating docks at Bondar Marina. The city had to pay $52,000 for two emergency repairs in 2018
- $100,000 for a new online system for submission and tracking of building permits
- $150,000 to extend the Huron Street Hub Trail 300 metres into the former St. Mary's Paper redevelopment
- $264,866 for a downtown action plan
- $20,134 to implement the city's active transportation study. This is leveraged with a $116,107 Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling grant
- $50,000 for wayfinding signage, as strongly recommended by consultant Roger Brooks and supported by FutureSSM and the Downtown Association
- $765,170 to replace aging public works vehicles. City staffers say they'll be needing $480,000 in additional repair parts if this request isn't granted
- $373,200 to hire four paving stone/cement finishers and one labourer to maintain the city's interlocking brick
- $69,700 for a new labourer to maintain the splash pad, disc golf course, off-leash dog park, pump track, outdoor exercise and sensory playground equipment and the skateboard park
- $100,000 for an electrician to inspect and maintain traffic control equipment
- $240,000 for three apprentices to expand in-house services in the public works department
- $25,000 more for winter damage to PUC poles, overhead wires and electrical boxes
- $25,000 for increased maintenance costs at the Civic Centre
- $10,000 more for environmental cleanups
- $500,000 more for miscellaneous road resurfacing
- $90,000 for three pedestrian cross-overs including Churchill Boulevard at Bellevue Park
- $32,000 for a hot-melt densifier at the landfill
- $75,000 to replace the traffic control system
- $60,000 to optimize traffic signals at Second Line and Old Garden River Road, and Great Northern Road at Third Line
- $92,895 for the city's portion of the cost of a new solicitor/prosecutor and staffer for provincial offences. This is necessary because of a mandatory downloading of court responsibilities by the Ontario government
- $200,000 increase in funds transferred to a reserve fund for fire equipment, vehicles and apparatus. Fire Services wants a $650,000 tanker replacement in 2020, a $400,000 rescue unit replacement in 2021, a $1.5 million aerial truck replacement in 2023, an $850,000 rescue pumper replacement in 2024 and another $850,000 rescue pumper in 2025
City officials collected public input on the 2019 budget using social media, email, telephone calls, Canada Post, an online budget tool and a Jan. 16 open house.
Not all of the responses were polite.
"I have zero faith in your skills or abilities to run a city and I think the evidence objectively supports that belief," griped one cranky citizen.
"Please start fixing the roads and quit offering excuses," bellyached another.
"Cut everybody's pay at the city by five per cent," offered a third irate ratepayer. "All of them, from secretaries and pothole-fillers right over to the CAO. Everyone. Five per cent less pay starting in 2019."
"Why don't you use local services instead of call centres to collect your receivables?" a local collections agency wrote to treasurer Schell.
"The Credit Bureau Collections Algoma District is local, employs local people, we do not use recordings as your current provider does, we are live collectors, we can collect far more money, and I say confidently, this has not been reviewed in years.... Not only is it a huge disappointment our city doesn't use local services, but we really would like a fair shot at it."
Schell's response?
"Although the Credit Bureau did not respond to the last proposal in 2015 nor the one previous to that in 2012, we look forward to your submission when the service is put to proposal again."
Don Mitchell, Carlo Spadafora and Rory Ring from Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce submitted five single-spaced pages of corporate wisdom to the city.
The following summary was issued by news release:
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Chamber brings key recommendations to city
The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce (SSMCOC) has issued a letter to Mayor Christian Provenzano, members of council, the CFO and CAO containing a number of recommendations that it feels, if adopted, will be of tremendous benefit to the City of Sault Ste. Marie as it deals with ongoing municipal budgetary challenges.
The SSMCOC will be refraining from commenting directly on the 2019 municipal budget prior to final deliberations in early February 2019.
In the months ahead they hope to participate more fully and work together to fully realize the potential of the city.
The chamber wishes to participate in the city’s current municipal budget input process by informing SSM City Council and SSM senior officials about key recommendations pertinent to municipalities, inclusive of Sault Ste. Marie, which the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) provided in its 2019 provincial pre-budget submission to the Ontario government.
In the letter, the SSMCOC outlines a number of key recommendations, pertinent to municipalities, inclusive of Sault Ste. Marie, which the OCC provided in its 2019 provincial pre-budget submission to the Ontario government.
Some of these recommendations include:
- enhanced fiscal capacity for municipalities
- gradually increasing the 'heads and beds' levy on institutions
- fixing the interest arbitration system for fire and police services
- working toward restored passenger rail in northern Ontario
- direct business support to where it is needed most
SSMCOC participated in the development of the OCC recommendations to the province as a non-partisan body representing 41 per cent of the workforce in SSM.
The OCC represents over 60,000 businesses employing over two million persons province-wide.
The chamber hopes that City of Sault Ste. Marie, city councillors and senior officials will add their voice of support to these important recommendations, recommendations which SSMCOC and OCC are working hard to ensure are adopted by the Ontario government in its upcoming provincial budget.
The full letter can be found on the Chamber’s website at www.ssmcoc.com
About the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce
The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of 700-plus business and agencies in Sault Ste. Marie and has been serving the needs of this community since 1889.
The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce will lead the way as the voice of business, advancing economic prosperity for its membership and the business community. Learn more about the SSMCOC at www.ssmcoc.com
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