Every so often, they shared a laugh.
Day one of Midland’s three-day discussions for the 2022 budget approval focused on the the tax supported base operating budget, and while only a few cuts were made for headway into the proposed 6.49 per cent town tax rate and 4.95 blended total tax levy impact, it was the topic of contingency grants that caused the most relief from council.
Previously calculated at an estimated 4.82 per cent blended tax rate and 6.3 per cent town tax rate in early December, amendments of insurance, the Midland Bay Landing Development Corporation (MBLDC) and the North Shore Family Health Team were added to raise the levels into the meeting.
After great discussion to the $105,000 cost of fencing off the entire contaminated soil of Midland Bay Landing brownfield site plus additional reports, Coun. Beth Prost definitively asked about deferring the fencing to next year.
Environment and infrastructure executive director Andy Campbell replied, “If we are to violate the provisions of (Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks) order, it’s a chargeable offence. And I’m not prepared to be charged by the ministry for not following the order that they give us.”
Council found cuts in a $600,000 initiative by Simcoe County to put a trail in on County Road 93, instead passing a motion to wait until county provides a reason for the project to town at a future date. Coun. Bill Gordon also found savings in reducing $60,000 in computer workstations to $20,000 through non-mandatory upgrades.
Many of the items in the 2022 municipal capital budget added in, including resurfacing of court surfaces at Little Lake and Bayview parks, information technology solutions and data system management, and more, were met with scrutiny until staff clarified that items noted as contingent on grant funding wouldn’t be money spent unless the grants were approved, which brightened everyone’s day.
“We should be able to sustain that to some degree, and grants are an extra bonus,” said Gordon of the tennis court repaving. “I’m getting the impression that this is a ‘nudge nudge wink wink, it wouldn’t be on here if we weren’t getting it,' but that can’t be announced.”
For the remainder of the day, council and staff continued to make reference to the contingency grants on the agenda which they couldn’t talk about, and each time they were met with a smile or two.
Other non-grant municipal capital budget items like town hall in disrepair and the MBL fencing were passed as is.
At the administration budget section when asked about wage benefits, CAO David Denault pointed out that town staff of 118 full time employees serve roughly 19,000 Midland residents as confirmed in next month’s Census data, whereas ten years ago 121 full time employees served a population of roughly 16,000; the result is a $400,000 relief to the tax levy through efficiencies.
In all, minor increases were made to the tax levy of an unpassed blended 4.8 per cent and a town impact of 6.4 per cent, but as council was reminded throughout the day by Mayor Stewart Strathearn, the biggest changes would be made on day three of discussions this Friday.
Day two of deliberations and ratifications of the 2022 budget continue Thursday.
The town is asking that residents who are interested in attending the budget meetings contact the clerk’s office at [email protected] to pre-register, at which time a virtual Zoom link will be provided directly to them.
Archives of the 2022 budget discussion are available through the Town of Midland’s YouTube channel.
