By Pepper Parr
November 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Motions put before Council by Mayor Meed Ward adding to the budget; motions point to savings that will result from the additional hires.
Motion for Council to Consider:
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
Add two additional Firefighters (item 2024-027) for $301,419 to the 2024 budget funded by reallocating dollars from overtime savings.
Reason:
Two of the four positions requested to fill out Fire Station 8 are accommodated in the Mayor’s Budget. The four positions are not part of the Top Priority positions identified by staff in response to staff direction SD-37-23, presented after release of the Mayor’s Budget, but they are part of the second tier of high priority positions.
Following discussion at committee after release of the Mayor’s Budget, this motion seeks to add the remaining two, funded from overtime savings, to complete the complement.
See page 93 of the budget book for additional details.
According to Appendix C of MO-02-23-1, the staff response to questions from councillors, pg 17, actual overtime expenditures since 2011, when Station 8 was opened, has ranged from a low of $76,704 in 2011, to a high of $1.5m in 2022, which was an anomaly year due to COVID. Actual overtime for 2023 is projected to be
$925,000.
The lack of the four additional firefighters has contributed to this need for increased overtime, so it can be expected that overtime costs will reduce with the full complement added.
Actual overtime for the years between 2012 to 2017 has been in the $300,000 range, with higher amounts in 2018 and 2019 pre-COVID ($400k and $538k respectively) without the additional four fighters.
Overtime for 2024 is budgeted at $600,000, which is higher than actuals for the years 2011 to 2019 by a range of $61,903 to $523,296. Hiring the final two firefighters should contribute to a comparable reduction in overtime in line with actual historic costs of overtime.
This motions seeks to add the additional two fire fighters to the two already accommodated in the Mayor’s Budget, to bring the full complement to four, paid for by reducing the overtime budget for 2024 from $600,000 to $300,000, which is closer in line to actual overtime from the pre-COVID years of 2011 to 2019.
If there are any overages in overtime that may be incurred in 2024, these can be reported out as part of council’s regular variance reports at year end, and an adjustment made in the 2025 budget, if necessary.
Motion Seconded by: Not Required Share with Senior Staff
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 budgeted by-law licensing revenues to fund the licensing clerk position accommodated in the 2024 Proposed Budget, thus taking $92,940 off the tax impact.
Add the second licensing clerk position not currently accommodated in the 2024 Proposed Budget, also funded from increased licensing revenues, adding a further
$92,940 to the projected licensing revenue budget, with no tax impact.
Reason:
One of the two requested licensing positions is accommodated in the Mayor’s Budget. The two positions are reflected in the “Other Priority” positions identified by staff in response to staff direction SD-37-23, presented after release of the Mayor’s Budget.
See page 38 of the budget book for additional details.
According to Appendix C of MO-02-23-1, the staff response to questions from councillors, pg 16, the licensing revenue in the 2024 budget only reflects businesses we have historically dealt with. Staff are working with other regional partners to focus on those businesses who are not currently licensed so it is expected that numbers will increase further. On food licensing alone, there is potential revenue of $267,305, which would more than cover both additional licensing clerk positions of $186,000. According to information provided by staff, licensing revenue is further expected to increase to $887k and $1.024m in 2025 and 2026.
If there is any variance in licensing revenue received in 2024, this can be reported out as part of council’s regular variance reports at year end, and an adjustment made in the 2025 budget, if necessary.
Motion Seconded by: Not Required Share with Senior Staff
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 Manager Organizational Development, for $157,373 to the 2024 budget funded by reallocating dollars from unfilled positions in 2023.
Reason:
This position is part of the Human Capital Investments in Stabilizing Operations investment to focus on improving the city’s capability and performance, and implementing the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy and Corporate Learning and Development.
It was identified by staff as one of the top priority positions in response to Staff Direction (SD-37-23) requesting prioritization of new staff positions, released after the presentation of the Mayor’s Budget. See page 63 of the budget book for additional details.
According to Appendix C of MO-02-23-1, the staff response to questions from councillors, page 3, 13 positions of the 42 approved in the 2023 budget remain unfilled as of November. This motion seeks to reallocate funding from one of these lower priority positions that were approved but remain unfilled almost at the end of this year, to this higher priority position, to be determined by staff.
Motion Seconded by: Not Required Share with Senior Staff
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 Solicitor – General Litigation, Municipal Law, Insurance Practice for $190,512 to the 2024 budget offset by a recovery to the capital program.
Reason:
This position is part of the Burlington Digital Services investment and was identified by staff as one of the second tier (Chart 2) “high priority” positions in response to Staff Direction (SD-37-23) requesting prioritization of new staff positions, released after the presentation of the Mayor’s Budget. See page 48-56 of the budget book for additional details, and page 29 of Appendix C of MO-02-23-1, the staff response to questions from councillors.
The memo stipulates that there would have been cost savings annually between $60k and $190k between 2019 and projected for 2023 had the resource been in place which would assist in covering the inhouse solicitor costs.
Additionally, we heard at the Nov. 6 and 7 workshops that this position supports the capital program, which is funded in part by the infrastructure levy, which is significantly increasing this year’s budget.
All staff are budgeted for in operating, however for those that work on the capital program the city budgets a recovery for a portion of their HR costs from capital. Each relevant capital project then includes a budgeted internal charge for this staff time as an expense to the project where internal staff are completing work (as opposed to an external contractor). For example a roads project may have an internal charge for design or inspection time.
Staff time not directly spent on capital does not get recovered and remains as an expense to operating.
As such, this motion seeks that the HR expenses for the solicitor would be offset by a recovery to the capital program, with no net increase in the tax base.
Motion Seconded by: Not Required Share with Senior Staff
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 workday/EAMS Training Coordinator position, for $109,220, to the 2024 budget funded by reallocating dollars from unfilled positions in 2023.
Reason:
This position is part of the Enterprise Business Services Support investment to retire outdated software and introduce the new Workday platform. It was identified by staff as one of the top priority positions in response to Staff Direction (SD-37-23) requesting prioritization of new staff positions, released after the presentation of the Mayor’s Budget. It is one of four positions requested. See pages 57-62 of the budget book for additional details.
According to Appendix C of MO-02-23-1, the staff response to questions from councillors, page 3, 13 positions of the 42 approved in the 2023 budget remain unfilled as of November. This motion seeks to reallocate funding from one of these lower priority positions that were approved but remain unfilled almost at the end of this year, to this higher priority position, to be determined by staff.
Motion Seconded by: Not Required Share with Senior Staff
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
Here, here Philip, excellent points.
Many of these proposals by the Councilors and Mayor are increasing the size of the municipal bureaucracy. A reminder that all governments, including this one, are the cause of many of our problems, not the solution.
Here we are where well paid government employees–often in excess of the private-sector in remuneration, with benefits, pensions, and job security are being supported increasingly by people who don’t have those benefits and job security. When this Mayor and Council are asking for increases in property taxes that are in excess of the rate of inflation, a situation that has existed every year since MMW took office, and in excess of the increases in income received by residents, what the end result is that this Mayor and Council are mandating cuts to the standard of living for local residents.
Why is she now recommending changes?
She had the first kick at the can.