By Pepper Parr
November 24th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 9:30 a.m. – Review of proposed 2024 budget at Special Meeting of Council.
Key Budget Meeting Dates
Tuesday Nov 28 at 9:30 a.m. – Special Meeting of Burlington City Council
Council will review the Recommendation that came of out the two day meeting that went through the Motions put forward by members of Council.
The authority Mayor Meed Ward has under the Strong Mayor Powers can be used at this meeting.
Will this group be sending each other Christmas cards this year – even if the Mayor chooses to veto some of the decisions the six Councillors made?
The rules set out in Bill 36 are:
The head of council then has 10 days from the end of the council review period to veto any council amendment.
To veto a council amendment, the head of council must provide written documentation of the veto and rationale to each member of council and the municipal clerk on the day of the veto. Council then can override a head of council’s veto of a council amendment with a two-thirds majority vote, within a 15-day period, after the head of council’s veto period.
There are mechanisms in place to enable council and the head of council to shorten their respective review, veto and override periods. For example, council could pass a resolution to shorten their review and override period, and the head of council could provide written documentation to members of council and the municipal clerk to shorten the veto period.
At the end of this process, the resulting budget is adopted by the municipality.
A review of the chronology:
Mayor Meed Ward produced her proposed budget on October 30th.
After receiving the proposed budget from the head of council, council can amend the proposed budget by passing a resolution within a 30-day review period.
Members of Council produced 54 Notices of Motion setting out what each would like to see changed. They were debated on November 21st and 23rd. The result of those debates go to City Council on November 28th as a recommendation.
The Mayor does not have to accept the recommendations. She can veto anything but has to provide written notice to members of Council and the City Clerk
Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 9:30 a.m. – Meeting of Burlington City Council.
This is the meeting at which the Mayor advises Council that she has chosen to veto some of the Council recommendations. That she can does not mean that she will.
If she does choose to veto she must provide written notice and explain why she chose to veto to the members of Council and the City Clerk.
Will the Mayor choose to use the veto power she has?
Council can override a head of council’s veto of a council amendment with a two-thirds majority vote. That means at least 4 members of Council will have to vote against what the Mayor wanted to do.
This process is raw political power being used by a Mayor who can get very belligerent and nasty when she does not get her way.
Will Jim Thomson be allowed to attend the next Council meeting?
At the end of this process, the resulting budget is adopted by the municipality.
Not known yet is who will wipe up the blood on the floor of the Council chamber. All we know is that the taxpayers will pay for the clean up.
And Jim Thomson will probably not be there to protest – they marched him out of the Council Chamber for protesting earlier in the week. They may have chosen to ban him for two years.
Let us all REMEMBER what transpired this year when it came to the budget primarily; City Hall makeover without public input; Civic Square MUST redo because all levels of government say so; a Mayor that rams things through with a rubber-stamp Council that won’t listen to the people when they say HOLD the line.
REMEMBER when election time comes again
THINK CAPTION ON THIS PHOTO OF JIM SHOULD HAVE BEEN “SOMETHING SMELLS” – JUST SAYING LOL
It is important that we have as many delegating as possible and if not able to delegate written submissions on any deceit used to present this budget. For example a few readers picked up the MMW spin to delegate Dave Chapman yesterday that because money was set aside to do Civic Square it did not contribute to “BUDGET INCREASE”. This is a concerning train of thought for a Mayor who has chosen to take strong mayor powers.. Any money to be spent contributes to our budget total and could mean some very necessary need is not covered.
Jim Thompon was registered as a second delegation yesterday with very valid points on the legitimacy of the process to make prior to his removal. The Marsdens however, were denied a second delegation despite having their first delegaton cut off as someone who had that power did not want them to fully answer a question. Seeking an answer to who pulled our microphone since yesterday.
Jim’s removal followed an ex City employee who is known for his loud comments from the stands stating very loudly “Its 9:30 what’s wrong”. Instead of ignoring him or cautioning him the Chair gave him a full explanation that we could all hear as to why they were not starting. If this observer had persisted in loudly protesting would he have continied to be treated differently to Jim or others and allowed to get away with his disruptive behaviour.
The Council chambers must be a place of equal access to Council – presently it is definitely not especially if the delegation is bringing forward material that Council does not want you to hear. Enpugh is enough. Please if you saw deceit used in the presentation of the budget by council or staff DELEGATE AND GET IT ON THE RECORD!!!!!!!!!
Were you able to hear my delegation? Because the main point of it was that they didn’t need to increase the DIR levy. The claim it was “prolonged cost pressures” from covid was already weak. Two years is prolonged? Give me a break. Nevertheless, my arguments were thorough. There is no need to put thru the 0.97% of this tax. Its even in the document about wanting to accelerate funding to it, not needing to
Further, in 2023 when they made this big deal about infrastructure to the public, it was based on fabrication. As per their own report, the % of infrastructure in very poor or poor condition was 9.9% and it stated ““When considering the total quantity and value of assets the city owns, the backlog is not overly significant”.
Not overly significant. Yet they insisted to the public it was in dire straits and needing attention.
How many times have you heard Sharman say the sky is falling bc of a 500 m deficit? Well that was only 250 m in 2016 when the assets were valued at 2.94 B. Every time they change how they evaluate the assets that “deficit” increases. Its paper accounting entries, its not a real debt. Its a future liability but that’s not the same thing. As well, half of it is transportation, so roads. To hear them talk its the entire city falling apart. Taxpayers got so snowed. Again, “not overly significant”
I know the DIR tax is really dry to everyone. But it’s an important issue since they conned the public into believing they had to invest heavily into it, now not once but two years in a row at a total of 2.57%. It would have brought the 2023 tax down to 5.92% if they’d kept it at the rate it was at bc it was 1.6% of that budget. It’s slated for another 0.97% this year. Again not bc it’s needed, I blew their arguments out of the water. Its bc this council decided to accelerate funding to the program in 2021. Because they want everything and they want it NOW. And they have absolutely no concept of money
They lied to the public when they said infrastructure was at a critical point. They keep lying. And they’re using a 2022 survey that says 96% of people support it to justify it. Surveys that don’t contain the proposed tax rate making them highly deceptive. But that’s a digression. This issue with the infrastructure, I’d like feedback on that