By Pepper
November 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The following motions were submitted by Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte as amendments to the Mayor’s Budget.
Motion for Council to Consider:
Add the Data Engineer and Solicitor positions under the Burlington Digital Services (2024-030) with a total value of $329,196 to the 2024 Budget.
Reason:
These positions are the most critical for the Burlington Digital Services team at this time.
Approved as per form by the City Clerk,
Reviewed by the City Manager – In accordance with the Code of Good Governance, Council-Staff Relations Policy and an assessment of the internal capacity within the City to complete the work based on a specific target date (quarter/year).
Comments:
City Clerk: none
City Manager: none
Motion for Council to Consider:
Add 2 additional Firefighter positions (for a total of 4) for Station #8 (2024-014) with a total additional cost of $301,419 to the 2024 Budget.
Reason:
These positions are the critical for the Burlington Fire Department at this time.
Approved as per form by the City Clerk,
Reviewed by the City Manager – In accordance with the Code of Good Governance, Council-Staff Relations Policy and an assessment of the internal capacity within the City to complete the work based on a specific target date (quarter/year).
Comments:
City Clerk: none
City Manager: none
Motion for Council to Consider:
Increase the provision to the Strategic Land Acquisition Reserve Fund by a further $4,500,000 in the 2024 Budget.
Reason:
Land is a strategic and valuable asset to the city that is leveraged and planned for based on existing and future Council and community expectations.
As the City continues to grow, and expand levels of service, land is the enabler to enhancing community benefit, expanding city operations and effectively managing community growth and development opportunities.
We are in a Housing Crisis in Burlington with residents unable to afford adequate housing.
An integral part of the success of the Attainable Housing Strategy is the commitment to make strategic land acquisitions and work with community partners to create more attainable housing options.
The Strategic Land Acquisition Reserve Fund relies on the operating budget to replenish the reserve fund.
The existing uncommitted June 30 balance in this reserve fund is $1,427,218.00 The provision to the reserve fund for 2024 is $370,000.
This funding is pivotal in contributing to future strategic land purchases as it is the city’s primary reserve fund to plan for strategic land acquisitions.
Land purchases require large upfront investment, and this reserve fund does not have the capacity to handle large one-time cash transactions. An increased annual provision will make a considerable difference in building the City’s only land acquisition (not related to parks) reserve fund.
The guiding principles of our long-term financial plan of, responsible debt management, and efficient use of reserve and reserve funds have always been maintained in developing creative, and effective financing strategies that have not put undue pressure on our capital or operating budget or our debt capacity.
This increased provision to the Strategic Land Acquisition Reserve Fund will match the existing commitment to the Asset Management Levy as well as allow for the funds allotted to the Multi-Year Community Investment Plan to be focused on delivering enhanced community benefits related to community, recreation and cultural facilities, site amenities to address projected community growth to year 2051 (including the provision of City services related to future development) as well as projects necessary to fulfill other vital Master Plans such as new fire halls and active transportation amenities.
Approved as per form by the City Clerk,
Reviewed by the City Manager – In accordance with the Code of Good Governance, Council-Staff Relations Policy and an assessment of the internal capacity within the City to complete the work based on a specific target date (quarter/year).
Comments:
City Clerk:none
City Manager: none
Motion for Council to Consider:
Add the Application Analyst and Training Coordinator positions under the Enterprise Business Service Support (2024-031) with a total cost of $245,611 to the 2024 Budget.
Reason:
These positions are the most critical from a staff support basis to the Enterprise Business Service.
Approved as per form by the City Clerk,
Reviewed by the City Manager – In accordance with the Code of Good Governance, Council-Staff Relations Policy and an assessment of the internal capacity within the City to complete the work based on a specific target date (quarter/year).
Comments:
City Clerk: none
City Manager: none
Motion for Council to Consider:
Add 5 positions (Transit Operations Supervisor, Transit Maintenance Supervisor, Urban Forestry Supervisor, Coordinator IT Contracts and one Traffic Operations Technician) under the Human Capital Investments initiative (2024-032) with a total cost of $604,184 to the 2024 Budget.
Reason:
These positions are the most critical regarding the Human Capital Investments Initiative.
Approved as per form by the City Clerk,
Reviewed by the City Manager – In accordance with the Code of Good Governance, Council-Staff Relations Policy and an assessment of the internal capacity within the City to complete the work based on a specific target date (quarter/year).
Comments:
City Clerk: none
City Manager: none
The strategic land acquisition fund for 2024 is $340,000…..That is, the fund to find community partners who might be willing to allow the city to purchase their land to create and direct affordable housing. $340,000. The Councillor is asking for $4.5 million (realistic). If we punt this closer to an election, it will be zero. next step are mego condo high rises. Big picture, people.
Strategic land acquisition is a complicated term. What it really means is gaining ownership to available ($$$) land to create REAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING. That is a provincial mandate. That is a moral mandate, to create enough supply to allow new residents afford to be here. A $340,000 budget for 2024 is nuts-to-low. I believe there are cool opportunities out there.
So what reductions does Councilor Stolte plan to offer to fund her wants and requests?
As one of many senior citizens on fixed income in Burlington I have zero interest in funding any type of housing though property tax increases for the Strategic Land Reserve Acquisition Fund.
This for the approximate 3% annual increase across Canada of all categories of newcomers that our much loved federal government is facilitating in a desperate attempt to show GDP growth.
Suggestion. I understand that the City is utilizing approximately half of the borrowing facility that they can legally utilize. Double the debt and let the future newcomers pay it down.
I think ‘stragetic land acquisition’ is characterized as a fun-run that we can revisit in later years. Truly, these are opportunities for the city to purchase prime land in the city and designate them for affordable housing. Current residents seem not to care. But, if these opportunities are not seized, these same residents will be complaining about mega high-rises in their neighbourhoods where the city could have intervened. None of this is easy. Councillor Stolte is the only one that will tell it like it is. Someone has to have a vision, here. It is all going to change. and borrowing to the future is not the answer. Sorry, Ted.
Elan, I appreciate your input however we will have to agree to disagree. The majority of the planned 30,000 units of “home” creation for Halton already consists of multi level towers and in Burlington at least mostly centered around the underutilized GO stations and are 500 to 600 SF.
Just who are these “homes” or investor rental units built for. Childless old stock Canadian children, seniors (not me!) or single arrivals?
It has struck me for some time that actual real estate property value is a significant part of the problem as approximately 87% of all land is still Crown owned. Why wouldn’t’ the feds and provinces make land available at fire sale prices to worthwhile projects rather than down loading taxes somewhat voiceless property owners.
It is a fact that our real estate values are hyper inflated particularly in our few large urban areas. Build new cities. It has worked elsewhere.
The shortage and “cost” of “skilled” labour and supply chain constraints is real and their costs can not be easily if reduced at all going forward. My continuing work on major work on major projects in commercial roles for decades tells me this. Maybe the feds can bring in more temporary workers from South Korea (Stellantis) and elsewhere and build accommodations instead of dubious EV plants with enormous subsidies of foreign owned companies.
I am working on my grand children to consider looking at somewhere else to live than what this country has and is becoming. Highly educated young folk are leaving (unreported) in droves. You can buy a very nice condo in upscale Naples FL for $300K, much less elsewhere. One might though consider learning Spanish. You will need it at Walmart.
I won’t apologize for the rant! I will fight tooth and nail on this subject.
I absolutely love this, Ted. It lays bare the tension between current, I assume long-time residents, and the provincially (soon to be Federally) mandated goal of providing affordable housing to people who cant afford a million dollar home in Halton. GDP, sorry, is a red herring. Can my daughter ever own a home in Halton? That’s real.- for many. I dont think I can support punting the additional costs (created by the Ford Govt) to my Daughters. It seems you are ok with that. and that is ok too. I just dont agree.
Well said Wendy and Philip – and nope, you’re not just being cynical, I think that’s precisely what Burlington councillors are doing at the Region. Anne and Dave thank you for bringing up the wave break – another total flip flop by the mayor who campaigned against robbing reserves and funding a private boat club’s expensive project in a marina at Lasalle which is owned by Hamilton.
As far as the IT project: nope to that too. They’ve already spent large money on their latest system – can our staff not do their jobs? Let’s throw more money at it. Let’s throw more money at everything – yes, it really does fall off the trees they keep cutting down apparently. And I love Wendy’s Robin Hood analogy. Absolutely we should not be acting as if developments aren’t all coming and thinking we should spend $4.5 M (!!!!).
Every councillor should have a big red pen and be submitting motions with nothing but massive cuts. That none of them will acknowledge the almost 3000 responses on the petition, while they claim to want to hear from the public, is pathetic.
And oh, Sharman is having an 11th hour ward meeting to discuss the budget, literally the evening before this all goes to council Tuesday. He’s invited the Mayor – so they can tag team the totally tone deaf and very misleading portrayal of what they supposedly need, what we supposedly want, and what the numbers supposedly are? As if anything he hears tomorrow evening will be considered by the next morning – he’s already submitted his motions! If it wasn’t already obvious that they aren’t listening to us – and have no intention of listening – this meeting tomorrow night sure tells us so.
At least Rory had his before he submitted anything and he weathered it alone. And he didn’t do it in a food court or coffee shop. More cuts needed though, Rory.
“And oh, Sharman is having an 11th hour ward meeting to discuss the budget, literally the evening before this all goes to council Tuesday. He’s invited the Mayor – so they can tag team the totally tone deaf and very misleading portrayal of what they supposedly need, what we supposedly want, and what the numbers supposedly are?”
Are you suggesting there is collusion on what will or won’t be passed? It’s a serious allegation. I’m not saying I put it past him. But that moves into an entirely different category of ethics and other violations.
The people showing up to that meeting won’t be tone deaf for the most part. They have been well versed, I made sure of that. As well, Sharman’s mailbox has been getting inundated with letters telling him he’s not getting re-elected. He’s a bit pissy about that. But it certainly has not stopped him from making it clear that he’s not backing down. We can see that’s true with how many more hires he’s trying to push thru. Someone on here commented about him not having a soul. A soul, a heart, I don’t think he has anything human in him at all.
My concern is that he thinks and acts like he’s mayor. I hope MMW has enough ego to push back at him and say, “you know what, step off, I’m Mayor, not you”.
Nor is Sharman a big picture thinker imo. In private practice, he’d have been fired a long time ago. No self respecting business that answers to shareholders would ever decrease the bottom line the way he has with millions in hires and inability to manage expenses. In this scenario, we the taxpayers are the shareholders.
It’s time for a vote of no confidence
No, I’m not talking collusion. Simply observing that he’s bringing the mayor to his event and I expect they’ll say the same things – they are clearly on the same page now after all, so why wouldn’t they – and he has backup. Rory at least did his meeting alone and spoke for himself.
The worst part is that this is so so late. The evening before? Very little notice also. So if it’s a poor showing, do they hold that up as “people are fine with this?” Perhaps they’re feeling some heat and don’t want to be accused anymore of not facing people in person. But the time for that was long ago.
I agree with Councillor Stolte that the Strategic Land Acquisition Reserve Fund needs more $$$. But not this year. The IT investment is needed to bring the City’s IT out of the 1900’s.
Pepper, thank you for posting the changes that the councilors want to see. One thing I don’t see is a focus on the taxpayer, a seemingly bottomless pit of revenue for all of the Burlington Council. No regard for raising City taxes above the rate of inflation during an affordability crisis; these councilors truly believe that residents are here to serve them, not serve the needs of the residents. Since Meed Ward has been elected, every single year City taxes have been raised by more than the rate of inflation.
Halton Region issued a statement in January 2023 about keeping taxes lower than the rate of inflation:
“Once again – and for more than 20 years – we have delivered a strong budget that keeps property taxes at or below the rate of inflation for Regional services while investing in the critical services and infrastructure the people of Halton need,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Our responsible approach to spending has earned the Region a AAA/Aaa credit rating for more than 30 years. I’d like to thank Council and staff for continuing to uphold Halton’s strong long-term financial position while delivering value for tax and rate payers despite increasing economic pressures.”
Once again, Halton Region delivered a similar increase for 2024. However, to be noted, Meed Ward and this council have issued NO such similar statement. Since several councilors sit on the Region and approved Regional taxes, is it too much to ask that they show similar regard for Burlington residents? Or am I being cynical in suggesting that these councilors who vote to keep regional taxes down do so to give them more wiggle room to raise the City of Burlington taxes.
“I want, I want. And I want it all now. I don’t care what the impact to taxpayers is. They are just here to serve us.” The most selfish, self serving council Burlington has ever had the misfortune of seeing. Let’s see how many other ways we can come up with to increase taxes and push people out of their homes.
How many developers having files with OLT currently? Projects that will be approved and underway? To hear Stolte talk you’d think there wasn’t any development going on in Burlington so they have to rush in like Robin Hood to save. We need a Robin Hood alright, to save us from the likes of Stolte.
Indeed, not a single study done to assess the impact to taxpayers of these multiple asks for money. What happened to the person who had concerns over the costs of Skyway? Clearly Stolte has crossed over to the dark side.
Hi Wendy I sympathize. but your perspective is nuts. I understand you dont want anything to change. But buckle up. Everyone is dealing with inflation. Plus, your Council previous to this one was championed as heroes for putting forth 0% budget increases, which pushes infrastructure costs to you now. Also, the Ford Govt has lifted the requirement for developers to reimburse the city for infrastructure (i.e sewers, roadways) , which you now have to pay for. You seem to think the Councillor Stolte is somehow pocketing the proceeds, or gaining politically from proposing more. I think is is just the opposite. It is the sign of vision. The rest are pandering – edited
Pity not her position when $4 million reserve fund used for Wave Break.