A funding shortfall for town assets, a look at a proposed events strategy, the design for a new park and more are all on the agenda for Bradford West Gwillimbury’s regular council meeting set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library.
Funding shortfall
Bradford is looking at a $3.5 million deficit for 2024 when it comes to covering the anticipated costs to maintain the town’s capital assets, like roads and sewers.
That comes as part of a report from deputy treasurer Nathalie Carrier, based on the finalized 2024 budget and business plan, which estimated future expenses for asset replacement according to past trends.
Based on that, Carrier determined the full cost for 2024 will be about $19,928,770, but the town only budgeted $16,409,108 based on $1,290,989 transferred to reserves, $6,296,592 from user fees, and $8,821,527 from the town’s special capital levy.
While the tax levy portion actually sees a surplus of $233,809, a deficit of $3,753,471 in user fees leaves an overall shortfall of $3,519,662.
That paints a clearer picture of a scenario forewarned in the draft 2024 budget discussed by council in January, and in his report on the matter at that time, finance director and treasurer Ian Goodfellow said that, without increasing the rate at which the special capital levy grows, the capital replacement reserve would be depleted by 2025.
Council created the special capital levy in 2013 set at one per cent and increasing by one per cent per year, to help cover the growing costs of town infrastructure. The levy is set at 11 per cent for 2024.
In January, Goodfellow explained a depleted capital replacement reserve would most likely lead to some projects scheduled for 2025 or 2026 being delayed by a year or two.
“The reality is we’ll have to revisit the capital program. If there’s no more money going in, we need to reduce the amount of money coming out,” he said.
According to Carrier’s report, the total municipal portion (including for the library) of taxes to be collected by the town increased to $28,294,178 in 2024 from $26,958,074 in 2023.
Originally, the property tax increase for 2024 was estimated to be about 4.26 per cent, but following more information from the County of Simcoe, was later revised to 4.21 per cent, or about an additional $217 for the average home.
New events strategy proposed
Bradford is looking at changing the way it delivers public events, like the annual Canada Day celebration and Carrot Fest.
That’s according to a report from recreation and client services manager Nick Warman, as well as a presentation to be given by Justin Rousseau of Expedition Management Consulting, which includes a draft of a new events strategy which focuses on six goals:
- Increase human resources — Recommends the town hire three new positions: Community event facilitator, event marketing and revenue generation specialist, and an administrative assistant
- Encourage third-party delivery — Recommends the town outsource operation of community events to third-party organizations “wherever practical”
- Evaluate in which events BWG will invest — Determine whether each event is meeting the strategy’s intended outcomes, and reduce, remove or expand programming based on needs
- Increase municipal investment in event production —Suggests town consider increasing annual investment in events in order to keep pace with rising costs
- Increase event revenues — Suggests town consider increasing admissions, vending commissions and more to generate more revenue from events
- Improve evaluation processes — Recommends the town maintain ongoing evaluations of the return on investment of community events, including from social, economic, and environmental perspectives.
That comes in response to an organizational structure which “is not sufficient” to handle rising costs and increased expectations for community programming that have come with “rapid population growth,” coupled with “unclear roles” for staff and a lack of resources and strategic planning, according to the preliminary draft strategy.
“The current situation is not sustainable and if left unchecked, there is a risk of staff burnout, low resident satisfaction or even greater risks to safety, infrastructure, and the environment,” says the strategy.
Work on the strategy, including consultations, began in October of last year and a final version of the strategy is expected to be presented to council sometime this fall, according to Warman’s report.
New park design
During a recent meeting in May, the town’s strategic projects committee selected one of two designs for the future park on the east side of the property at the town’s community and social services hub at 177 Church St.
The committee is recommending council ask staff to finalize the cost estimate for Concept 1 for inclusion in 2025 budget. Based on a May 2023 report by community services director Terry Foran, the design for the space of just less than .45 hectares was estimated to cost $691,640 and include:
- Playground with: Area for toddlers and young children (ages 1-7), area for older children (ages 8 and older), a gazebo with accessible seating
- Benches and decorative seat wall for watching children
- Waste bins
- Naturalized areas with tree plantings facing Rebecca and Queen streets
- Connections to the hub, Fred C. Cook Public School and Rebecca
- Parking with one accessible space
At $1,259,809, a second concept would have included everything in the first, plus a splash pad.
Exploring opportunities with Innisfil
Mahesh Ramdeo, the town’s new deputy chief administrative officer (CAO), is asking council to authorize staff begin conversations with the Town of Innisfil and their municipally-owned water utility, InnServices, to preserve and expand the water supply for Bradford.
That comes following Innisfil council’s decision during their May 8 meeting to review the organizational structure of the town’s utilities.
“BWG is a fast-growing municipality, and the availability of a secure water supply is critical to the existing and future residents,” Ramdeo said in a report included in Tuesday’s agenda.
Bradford currently sources about 60 per cent of its drinking water, about 2,197,087 cubic metres, from InnService and the Innisfil Lake Simcoe Water Filtration plant, an amount which has steadily increased since the municipalities entered into a cost-sharing and water-allocation agreement in September 2003.
Officially appointed as deputy CAO during the April 16 meeting of council, effective as of March 25, Ramdeo sees the discussions with Innisfil as a chance for “the exploration of collaborative cross-border service delivery opportunities.”
If approved, staff are expected to report back on the discussions at a later date.
