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January/February 2015
 

Welcome to the redesigned newsletter!

We've tried to make the newsletter more visual and easier to navigate. Let us know what you think. Need a hard copy for a friend? Contact me at marianne.meedward@burlington.ca

 

Budget 2015

 
   
 
 

More News

 
 
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3.55% increase focuses on infrastructure, flood, transit, culture

 
Residents will pay $19.36 more per $100,000 of assessed value if the proposed budget is accepted by council.

Included in the budget is increased funding for infrastructure, flood mitigation, transit improvements, cultural investments, and human resource costs. Total spending is increasing by $6.097 million, bringing the total city levy to $139.9 million, a 3.55% increase over 2014’s levy.

The tax increase is softened somewhat by additional revenue from new taxpayers through population and employment growth (called “assessment growth”). Assessment growth was 97%; without this growth, the tax increase would have been 4.52%

When blended with the education and region portion of your tax bill (which comprise roughly two-thirds of your overall taxes)the overall increase for residents this year is 2.1%. The education portion was at zero, while the Halton Region tax increase was at 1.6% (after factoring in Halton assessment growth).

Highlights of the budget are below and throughout the newsletter in specific articles.

Dedicated infrastructure levy of 1.2% ($1.745 million in infrastructure investment).
This will help narrow the cumulative gap between work that needs to be done but hasn’t been done due to insufficient funding. For roads alone the backlog is now $105.9 million. Roads, facilities and buildings represent 90% of the city’s total assets. The total infrastructure backlog is approximately $147 million. Staff will be bringing a report to council later this Spring to provide options to council for how to further reduce the infrastructure gap.

The city's 10-year capital  program focuses on infrastructure renewal (73%), with 17% of the budget allocated to growth-related projects and 10% for new or enhanced infrastructure.

The capital budget is for 2015 is $48 million, with $39 million of that for renewal needs, $5.5 million for growth-related needs, and $3.4 million for new needs. The single largest category in the capital budget is roadways, at $20 million, almost half the total budget.

Climate Change & Flood Mitigation funding of $4.5 million
These funds will be added to the capital budget over four years for maintenance and rehabilitation works addressing recommendations from the AMEC study. AMEC was contracted by the city to assist in flood analysis and identify areas and potential solutions to address damage as a result of the Aug. 4 flood and future mitigation projects. The completion of AMEC’s work is expected to yield estimates for future repair and rehabilitation.

Culture, Hospital, Official Plan, Human Resources
The budget includes an additional $2.2 million which includes $100,000 for a cultural initiatives reserve fund; $100,000 for policy work related to the Official Plan/Zoning Bylaw review currently underway; 1.5% for merit pay increases (individual staff increases could be above or below that amount); our contribution to the hospital; plus a 1.5% inflationary increase to local Boards and Committees (worth $216,403).

Human resource costs represent roughly half the city’s budget, averaging 49% over the past 10 years (47% in 2015). Overall headcount has been reduced by 2.7 full time equivalents (FTEs), however there are three service enhancement requests, two from transit and one from the fire department, that would add 6.2 FTEs, for a net increase of 3.5 FTEs.

Growth Services of $371,000
These include additional winter control costs due to new roads, enhanced creek maintenance, and technical and maintenance costs from expanded business applications and technology across the organization.

Increases in Corporate Expenditures and Revenues of $1.077 million
These costs include increased insurance and financing costs, and the added contribution to the infrastructure renewal fund.

New services $517,000
These include the additional Handivan and driver, and additional hours and routes on the Community Connection bus serving the Burlington Seniors’ Centre, seniors homes and other points of interest to seniors throughout the city.

Project-specific increases from boards and committees of $155,000
These include additional funding for the Burlington Sound of Music Festival, funding for Heritage Burlington’s tax rebate program and website launch, and funding for the Burlington Performing Arts Centre's school outreach program, including ticket discounts to performances, workshop/mentoring program and one dedicated staff person.

One-time expenditures (no tax impact) of $287,000
These costs are funded from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund which would be replenished by any year-end surplus. Included in these expenditures are: 3D Visualization Model, to allow 3D modelling of the built environment in specific geographic areas of the City (one-time expenditure of $84,000); Shoreacres Character Area Study (one-time expenditure of $60,000); Accreditation Coordinator for the Burlington Fire Department to complete the accreditation process that covers Self Assessment, Community Risk Analysis, Standards of Cover, and a Continuous Improvement Strategic Plan (one-time expenditure of $ 143,000).

 
How the budget gets approved
Members of council can suggest amendments to the budget. Those amendments will be debated at the Feb. 17 & 19 sessions of the Community & Corporate Services Committee (which includes all members of council). The capital budget has already been discussed by council at the Jan. 29 Community & Corporate Services Committee, without changes. Recommendations from the capital and current budget meetings will go City Council for final approval Feb. 23.

If needed, Feb. 24 has been set aside for debate on the current budget, in which case council would approve both current and capital budgets March 23.

Have your say
The Feb. 11 session of the Community & Corporate Services Committee has been set aside to hear from the public on the current budget. You can Register as a Delegation to speak at that meeting, or at the Feb. 23 council meeting when the final vote occurs on the capital and current budgets. You can also leave a comment below, or email or call your input to me (Contact information below)
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Free city staff parking a taxable benefit

 
City staff have reviewed the taxable benefit status of free parking provided for city employees downtown and concluded that an employer-provided benefit is considered income and therefore must be treated as a taxable benefit.

Exemptions to the tax benefit status of parking include an employee who is provided a parking spot due to a disability and employees who use their vehicle for regular business purposes. As per Canada Revenue Agency guidelines regular use of a vehicle for business purposes constitutes an average of 3 or more days in a five day work week.

Free parking downtown is currently provided for 365 city employees, including union and non-union members, and six members of council. (I gave up my parking space, and pay the market rate for parking when I need it).

The review came as a result of a staff direction I brought during the 2014 budget discussions after researching CRA rules and reading about a court ruling against Kitchener. In that case, where employees had free parking, Revenue Canada said it should have been a taxable benefit and the city ended up paying over $1 million in back taxes owed on behalf of employees.

I wanted to avoid that situation in Burlington, both for our employees and for taxpayers.


Read my 2014 article here: Treating free employee parking as a taxable benefit
 
The 2015 budget includes $150,000 to provide salary adjustments to downtown employees to offset the annual impact of the take-home pay reduction arising from the taxable benefit status of free parking. The goal of the adjustment is to treat all city employees equitably (those that work downtown versus employees who work in other areas of the city where emplyer provided parking is not a taxable benefit.)

Downtown employees have always had the option of a free transit pass or free parking; the transit pass was always treated as a taxable benefit.

My Take:  Treating employer-provided parking as a taxable benefit is not only the right thing to do, it’s required by the CRA, so making this change protects both city employees who receive this benefit and ultimately taxpayers. I’m pleased to have been a part of bringing it about.

Regarding the salary adjustment, I understand the thinking behind it and the desire for fairness, however it potentially introduces unfairness, and ultimately takes us down a path of the city covering private tax matters, not a road we want to go down. If CPP, EI or income-tax rates go up, causing a reduction in take-home pay for employees, would the city cover that too? If employees car-pool, walk or cycle to work – options we want to encourage – and don’t take the free parking benefit, do they still get the raise? If they take the free parking benefit one year, but not in later years, is the pay increase clawed back? Will the folks who took a transit pass, which was always a taxable benefit, instead of free parking, also get a salary adjustment in the spirit of fairness?

These are just some of the issues that may arise and I have asked staff for further information on these matters. Fairness in this case will be elusive if not impossible. I believe the most prudent course is simply to treat this as a private tax matter between employees and CRA, as we have historically for the transit benefit.

The larger issue here is whether the city should be providing free parking for employees, which is ultimately paid for by taxpayers as a transfer to the Downtown Parking Reserve Fund for the value of that parking ($217,000 in 2014). My view has always been that transportation to and from work, including associated expenses (parking, gas, depreciation) are costs that should be borne by the employee, not by taxpayers.

Transportation is a choice, and providing free parking provides an incentive to drive, at a time when we are trying to encourage residents to use transit, cycle or walk.
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Cultural Grants Program Proposed

 
Staff have included funding of $100,000 in the 2015 budget to be used towards a cultural initiatives reserve fund. The city has been working towards enhancing the culture program to facilitate opportunities for visual and performing arts, festivals, heritage, public art, and culture service providers. The funding will be managed by the culture service on an annual basis and be used in a multitude of ways to support culture including:
  • developing a cultural grants program
  • commissioning and maintaining public art in the city
  • supporting completion of items in the Cultural Action Plan
My Take:
I support the fund as a way to respond to the many requests for assistance from residents who are organizing cultural activities in our city - an independent film festival in March, and a pop-up festival of modern art in Village Square last September, to name a few. These events enhance our quality of life and in Ward 2 bring feet on the street to our shops, services and restaurants.
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Expanded transit, handivan

 
The 2015 budget includes additional hours and routes for the Community Connection bus, as well as an additional Handivan to accommodate growing demand.

Community Connection: The addition of service for the Community Connection will address concerns raised by various seniors in the city and would provide an opportunity for those in the community to have direct access to various “senior friendly” locations in the city.
Similar to the existing Route 300, these new routes have been designed with senior residences, retirement villages and major shopping centres in mind, and would use the Burlington Seniors’ Centre as the Community Connection hub. Instead of two days per week from 9am to 4pm, the service would run five days a week from 10am to 3pm, with two additional routes to serve more areas of the city. The additional cost is $337,000.

Handivan Service: An additional Handivan and driver at a total cost of $180,000 are proposed to address growing demand for specialized transit service and meet customer travel needs. in 2014, 675 trips had to be declined for lack of availability; that is projected to be 450 in 2015 with the additional van and driver.

The capital budget also includes $155 per year for bus stop location upgrades, including benches, display cases, schedule information signs, landing pads, and $105,000 per year for transit shelters.

My Take: I support these investments (and more) to ensure transportation for our citizens who don't drive, or choose for environmental reasons not to drive. Access to transportation that meets their needs helps our residents fully participate in the life of the city.
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Fixing the $20m road renewal gap

 
The city has made progress on local road renewal but an overall funding gap of $20 million in annual road repair needs remains.

The city currently manages approximately 1600 lane km of roads, classified as arterial, collector and local roads depending on the amount of traffic they carry. In the last term, council allocated $3 million annually in cash funding to the city’s shave and pave program. The program allows for resurfacing to maintain the life of a road, and avoid more costly repairs later from full reconstruction if the road is allowed to deteriorate. Resurfacing is the least expensive way to extend a road’s life, followed by minor reconstruction which typically costs 3 times as much, and finally full reconstruction which costs 10 times that of resurfacing.

As a result of the shave and pave program, there has been significant progress in the local road Pavement Quality Index from 67.5 to 72.1. However, the condition of arterial roads continues to decline (arterial roads are major through roads that are expected to carry large volumes of traffic.)

In the short term, staff recommended redirecting $1 million from the local roads resurfacing budget to arterial roads resurfacing.  However, there is still a projected overall roads funding gap of approximately $20M from 2016-2020.

Staff will come back to Council in the Spring with a long term financing plan to address the gap between road repair work needed and funding. A short term funding infusion of $20M over the next 5 years could help repair roads before they deteriorate to the point where more costly repairs are required.

Overall, staff have calculated the accumulated infrastructure backlog of “now needs” for all city assets (roads, buildings, parks) is approximately $147.8M (2013) and that average annual ongoing renewal requirements are $69.4M over the next 60 years.

In 2013, council approved a long range capital renewal financing plan that is predicted to eliminate the backlog and funding gap in 20 years, and provide ongoing stable funding to the capital maintenance and renewal program. An additional levy of 0.75% will be added between 2015 and 2022, reducing to a 0.5% from 2023 to 2033 to assist with the infrastructure funding gap.

Resources:
Read the staff report on road repair here: Development and Infrastructure Committee, January 19, Item 4, CW-01-15
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Road repair coming to your street

 
Select roadway improvements in the 2015 capital budget include the following:
  1. Lakeshore Road from Maple Ave to the city limit: (Will be completed in conjunction with the Beachway Master Plan) $2.8 million, including $235k for bike lanes.
  2. Plains Road East from Fairview St to Brenda Crescent, full road reconstruction and proper storm drainage below the CN overpass: $1.3 million, including $75k for bike lanes.
  3. Plains Road East bridge rehabilitation (under CNR tracks), $1 million.
  4. Brock Ave, Elgin to Ontario, reconstruction and sidewalks, $310k.
  5. Edinburgh Drive reconstruction, including new curbs, sidewalks, pavement and storm sewer repairs/replacement, $1.2 million.
  6. New Street resurfacing from Martha to Guelph Line, $825k. NOTE: In 2015 staff will be submitting a report identifying the cost of providing segregated bike lanes along the New Street corridor. Last year, staff provided a report estimating that elevated bike lanes in this section would require widening New Street, for a total additional cost to the project of roughly $1 million. I do not support the widening, and am comfortable with staff’s initial proposal of a painted bike lane on the north side of the street, and sharrows (share the road markings) on the south side. See previous articles: Council considers widening New St for raised bike lanes for $2m and Staff recommend one bike lane on New, two lanes of traffic, one full centre turn lane; June 16
Shave & Pave
As part of the annual $3 million shave and pave program, the following Ward 2 streets will be resurfaced in 2015:
  • Pine (from Pearl to Martha);
  • Queesway Drive, west of the cul-de-sac to Brenda Crescent;
  • Stinson Ave (Fairleigh Place to New St);
  • St. Paul St (South end to Lakeshore Road). 
Future road repair projects
  • 2016: Drury Lane resurfacing, from New to Fairview and north of Fairview, $1 million.
  • 2016. As part of the work, the intersection of Drury Lane and Prospect Street will be reconstructed.
  • 2016 & 2018: Brant Street & Plains Road Reconstruction, to provide additional capacity for traffic movement. $51,000 for design in 2016, with construction in 2018.
  • 2018: Tallman Ave & Courtland Drive reconstruction, including new road base, sidewalks and any water or wastewater replacement, $1.05 million
  • 2018: Hydro Corridor Multi-use Pathway Paving, from Graham’s Lane to Lakeshore Rd., paving the existing gravel path at 4 metres wide, in keeping with the Cycling Master Plan. $425,000.
  • 2016-2018: Restoration of decorative street lights throughout the downtown, $221,000 per year over four years, for removal, sandblasting, painting, reinstallation and rewiring. There are over 400 street lights within this program.
  • 2018: Replacement of Drury Lane pedestrian bridge, $1.65 million. The upcoming Transportation Master Plan will address the policy decision-making framework necessary to make an assessment of locations throughout the city that warrant pedestrian crossing structures at railways, creeks and highways. The funding is a place holder until further information is available.
  • 2018: Ghent & Hager Avenues minor reconstruction (resurfacing as well as replacement of curbs and sidewalk sections where necessary) $650,000
  • 2018: Lakeshore Road reconstruction, from Nelson Avenue to Elizabeth Street, $3.6 million in 2018, including $550,000 for bike lanes.
  • 2019: James Street reconstruction from Brant St to Martha St: $1.8 million, including $680,000 for hydro wire burial.
  • 2016 & 2018: Harvester Road at Guelph Line improvements and widening: $500,000 for land acquisition in 2016; $2 million for construction (2018) including $525,000 for bike lane installations.
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Mayor and Council raise approved at 1.3%

 
City council has approved a 1.3% increase to their salaries. Effective April 1, Council salaries will increase as follows:

Councilor salary: from $53,095 to $53,785
Mayor salary: from $121,676 to $123,257

The method for determining any council salary increases was developed by the Citizen Committee on Council Remuneration in 2013. The formula limits increases to no greater than 65% of the average increase in the Ontario consumer price index (CPI) for the previous 12 months from October to September. Further, the increase cannot be greater than the increase for non-union staff; no increase is granted if CPI is less than 1%; and if an increase is not taken a particular year, it can’t be carried forward to future years.

The average annual change in the Ontario CPI, October 2013 to September 2014 was 2%. Thus, the formula generates an increase of 1.3% (65% of 2.0%).

Burlington councillors are also regional councillors. The Region of Halton formula averages the Ontario CPI and the Toronto CPI figures. The Regional adjustment will be based on 2.1% resulting in a salary of $47,280 effective January 1, 2015.

Council sitting as the Community & Corporate Services Committee on Jan. 20 approved the increase. The increase was ratified by council Jan. 26.

Resources: Read the staff report on the increase here: Jan. 20 Community & Corporate Services Committee, agenda item 4

My Take: I supported the increase as a nominal adjustment to keep salaries in line with inflation, and based on the work done by the citizen’s committee to develop a thoughtful and reasonable adjustment formula. In previous years I have not supported the adjustment as in some cases it was more than the staff increase, was playing catch up for previous years, or was contrary to council’s position of freezing staff salaries and limiting tax increases after several years of increases well above inflation. Those conditions were not present this year.
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Budget: Is anyone better off?

 
The 2015 Budget marks the first year for the city of "service-based budgetting" which outlines costs according to service, rather than departmental structure.

The service-based budget outlines 47 distinct services, half of which are directly delivered to the public, in seven broad groups including: public safety (including fire protection, animal control, bylaw enforcement); maintenance (including roads and sidewalks, parks, trees, stormwater); roads and transportation (including transit, traffic operations, parking); leisure (including recreation, sport, arts and culture); design and build (including planning approvals, park and facility design and building code permits/inspection); customer relations and citizen representation (including city council, citizen advisory committees and miscellaneous licenses); and internal administration (including legal, communications, human resource, information technology, audit).

For each service staff have created a business plan that asks three things:
  1. how much service do we provide (quantity)
  2. how well do we provide it (efficiency)
  3. is anyone better off? (effectiveness)
For example, a review of the Design & Build service reports the number of Official Plan Amendment and Rezoning Applications for the last four years (ranging from 8 to 20), and how many were approved (100% in years 2011, 2012, 2013, 66% projected for 2014). Is anyone better off? On the one hand, fewer appeals means less cost to the city and more timely approvals, but what if residents are generally opposed to what's being approved? These are the kinds of important discussions that can take place with the data provided from service based budgetting.

Over the next few months, I'll detail each service and ask you to decide "Are you better off?"

The move to service-based budgetting is intended to allow the public and council to review  whether specific services need to be enhanced, reduced or possibly eliminated. It may also identify any new services that might be needed.

The bottom line is to ensure that Burlington residents get the services you need and want, as well as getting value for the tax dollars invested delivering those services.

My Take: I'm impressed with the detail in the service-based budget documents, and delighted that the focus remains on residents - are you better off from the services the city delivers with your tax dollars? I look forward to reviewing with you each service over coming months with that question in mind.

In general, this budget process has been a huge improvement over previous budgets, with a focus on major investments, and a small number of additional requests. There were only 9 business cases to review for extra funds this year, versus more than 40 last year, and over 70 the year before. IN the past, the dollar amounts of these requests ranged from very small (in the thousands) to large (hundreds of thousands). On the smaller items, council would spend the amount requested just in our salaries debating the issue.

Refocusing our efforts to fewer large ticket items and requesting that staff deal with the smaller items is a vast improvement. This process is more streamlined and should allow for a smoother budget process - and council spending our time on large items rather than spinning our wheels debating small requests.
 
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New Horizon to build Bridgewater

New Horizon Development Group has taken over the Bridgewater project at the foot of Elizabeth Street from MADY Development. When complete, Bridgewater will feature a 22-storey condo, 8-storey 4-star hotel (Delta, recently acquired by Marriott International), retail along Lakeshore Road, and a 7-storey condo, with a central public plaza and public walkway along the shoreline.

The development is roughly 30% sold. The goal is to begin construction later this year, once sales reach about 75-80%.

Bridgewater is designated a "landmark" in the city's Official Plan, meaning other developments must defer to it to give it prominence of place. The project is currently in the site plan approval stage, going over detailed drawings of where everything fits on the site.

The development has been in the planning stages for more than 20 years. In that time, setbacks from the shoreline have increased. Bridgewater was grandfathered in for a period of time, but that time has elapsed; they sought an extension from Conservation Halton to use the previous setbacks, and received approval so long a the project was "substantially complete" by the end of 2015. This presents a potential wrinkle in the project, as the project won't be substantially complete by 2015 (in the common language definition of that term) and the new setbacks would reduce the developable land requiring design changes.

My Take: It's unclear how the setback issue will be resolved, but as a new member of the Conservation Halton board, I will be watching closely and keeping you up to date.
 

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Elgin/Locust project revised

 
The developers of the Elgin/Locust Street project are further revising their plans after discovering the former "Wiggsville" building has heritage value and should be protected.

The property is on a Municipal Register of heritage assets, but is not officially designated. When the developer came in for a demolition permit, staff reviewed the building and found is has significant heritage value, and recommended designation.

The developer withdrew the demolition permit to work with staff and the Heritage Burlington citizens' advisory committee to find a way to incorporate the building into the development, possibly on the Locust side, and keep the building as commercial use (which is required on Locust).

My Take: I'm pleased that the developer is revising plans to incorporate this heritage asset, and thankful for staff and the committee for contributing to solutions. I will keep residents updated.
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Report: Village Square Unique

 
An independent study of Village Square has concluded that while the entire site isn't worthy of heritage designation, there are aspects of the square that should be preserved if the site is redeveloped.

These include: 
  • Retain the tower building in situ (LCBO);
  • Retain the Village Square signage currently on the tower building;
  • Accommodate for mid-block pedestrian routes through any new development;
  • Retain and support fine grain retail presence on Elizabeth, Pine and Pearl Streets;
  • Retain existing heritage properties at 416 Pearl Street, 415-417 Elizabeth Street and 423 Elizabeth Street; and
  • Introduce infill development on subject block that is complementary to the character of heritage buildings identified above.
The consultant further recommended exploring the possibility of designating the buildings at 416 Pearl St, 415-417 and 423 Elizabeth Street under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act to ensure any significant alterations and/or proposed demolition of structures at Village Square would go through a heritage permit process.

Any development on the site, said the consultant, should be required to demonstrate that the overall impact should not significantly impact the heritage value of Village Square, and should respect the overall form and massing of the listed heritage buildings, with compatible materials, detailing, and residential character.

Staff agrees with the opinion of the heritage consultant that there are elements of the Village Square development that could be considered significant to the character of the site, but that the Square as a whole doesn't warrant heritage designation.

The report is simply for information; a copy will also be circulated to the property owners.

Read the report here: Development & Infrastructure Committee, Feb. 9, 2015, Item 5

My Take: I welcome the detail in the consultants report on the aspects of the Square that should be preserved during any redevelopment. This is a special site to residents of the entire city, and I'll work to preserve it as a unique gem in the heart of Burlington.
 
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Study to begin for waterfront hotel site

 
Staff are recommending that council begin the Waterfront Hotel Lands Study, in light of interest by the hotel owners to redevelop at some point. Given the location of the site in the heart of downtown, adjacent to Spencer Smith Park, our Official Plan requires that a Master Plan must be completed before any redevelopment can occur.
(See attached map for study area, in blue, and the Waterfront Hotel lands, in red).

The terms of reference stipulate that a staff team led by the city's Special Business Area Coordinator manage the process with assistance from a Stakeholder Advisory Committee that includes citizen and business representatives, myself, as Ward councillor, a representative of the developer and others. There will also be at least four public meetings to provide input on development principles as well as specific development concepts.

The process will result in the preparation of three development options, with a preferred option being presented to council for approval, and written into the Official Plan and Zoning bylaw.

The goal is to produce a development plan that is supported by the community, the developer and city council and staff, and avoiding an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.

The next step is to issue a Request for Proposal for an outside consultant (paid for by the developer but selected and managed by staff).

Read the staff report: Development & Infrastructure Committee Feb. 9, 2015, Item 7

My Take: I look forward to engaging residents, the developer and other stakeholders in setting a public vision for this critical piece of our downtown waterfront.

 
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Heritage Tax Rebate approved

 
City council has unanimously approved a Heritage Property Tax Rebate Program for the 2014 tax year. (Councillor Dennison abstained from voting, as he is the owner of a designated heritage property.)

Residential properties that are designated under the Ontario Heritage Act will be eligible for a 20% rebate on the city portion of property taxes, and the same percent for education taxes. That will increase by 5% each year, until a maximum rebate of 40% is reached. Council will be asking the Region of Halton to establish a program to rebate the regional portion of the tax bill (roughly one-third of the total bill).

Heritage Burlington recommended that a similar program be explored for
commercial properties for 2015.

Based on currently designated properties, a 20% reduction represents an average
rebate to designated property owners of $697.72. The average cost to the city for each individual designated property is $447.91, with the remainder of funds being provided by the province for education purposes.

One-time funds of $103,450 for the first year of the Heritage Property Tax Rebate Program were approved in the 2014 budget, with additional funding of $25,500 proposed in the 2015 budget.

Among other things, the rebate program is intended to encourage and promote the protection of heritage properties through designation, increase maintenance on designated properties that might not otherwise be completed, and increase the use of trades skilled in maintenance and restoration of older homes.

Only designated properties are eligible for the rebate, and owners must commit to keeping the home in a state of good repair. If a tax rebate recipient demolishes a property or breaches the terms of a heritage conservation agreement, the municipality may require that the property owner repay all or part of the rebate.

The rebate program is part of “A New Approach to Conserving Burlington’s Heritage,” a series of recommendations developed by the city’s volunteer Heritage Burlington citizen's advisory committee to improve relations between the city and heritage property owners, and share the costs of heritage preservation. Council approved the  recommendations in “A New Approach” in October 2012.

Read the staff report here: Dec. 15 Development & Infrastructure Committee, agenda item 2

My Take: I'm delighted with the "carrot" approach to preserving heritage. Our heritage buildings are enjoyed by the whole community, adding to the character and history of our neighbourhoods. As such, it is fitting for the community through the rebate contribute to heritage presentation. I support this program being rolled out to commercial properties also.
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Mount Nemo Plateau Heritage Conservation District Study Consultation Meeting (Feb. 17)

 
Tues., Feb. 17, 6:30 p.m., Conservation Halton, 2596 Britannia Rd.
 
At its meeting on May 20, 2014, Burlington City Council approved staff report PB-38-14, which recommended that a Heritage Conservation District Study process be initiated for the Mount Nemo Plateau area. The study will look at the lands and properties in the Mount Nemo area to determine if there are significant landscapes which may have been modified by human activities and are valued by a community.
 
For more information, visit www.burlington.ca/mountnemo.
 
To RSVP please contact: Leah Smith, Environmental Planner, City of Burlington, 905-335-7600 ext. 7508 or Leah.Smith@burlington.ca.

Coyotes/Feeding Wildlife Public Information Centres (Feb. 25, March 26)

 

Wed., Feb. 25, 7 p.m., Tansley Woods Community Centre, 1996 Itabashi Way

Thurs., Mar. 26, 7 p.m., Central Arena, 519 Drury Lane
 
There have been numerous coyote sightings in our city. Join city staff to learn more about coyotes and other wildlife at one of the information meetings.
 
Your feedback helps us to monitor the location of coyotes in the community. If you see a coyote, you can report it online at www.burlington.ca/coyote or by calling 905-335-3030.

Burlington Waterfront Committee (Feb. 11)

 
Wed., Feb. 11, 7 p.m., City Hall, Room 309

Wed., Mar. 11, 7 p.m., City Hall, Room 309
 
The Burlington Waterfront Committee is a volunteer group of citizens from across the City committed to increasing public access and protection of our waterfront. All meetings are open to the public. Visit www.burlingtonwaterfront.org for additional details.

City launches new website

 
The city has launched a redesigned website at www.burlington.ca in early February to be more efficient, searchable, and user‐friendly, with a responsive design easily viewed on any mobile device. The site will offer new web services, increase open data and information access, and expand public involvement options, among other outcomes. Combined with the city’s e-government strategy, some of the activities residents will be able to do online include:
  • Pay tax or other city bills
  • Book recreaction programs, or Tee-off times
  • Join public survey and comment pages (eg. the Insight Burlington panel)
  • Request a service e.g. Potholes, Traffic Signals, Street Lights, Graffiti, Coyotes
  • View or add to the community calendar
In a recent community survey, nearly 60 per cent of residents said they rely on the website to learn about city programs and services.

For more information about e-Government services, call 905-335-7600, ext. 7504 or visit www.burlington.ca/egov. For more about getting involved with city government, visit www.burlington.ca/getinvolved.

My Take: I’m delighted by the project, which will allow residents better and easier access to information, along with options to report repairs needs in their neighbourhoods. I’m particularly pleased with the “you spoke, we acted” section that will be added, to let residents know how their input made a difference in city decisions.
 
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More affordable housing

 
There will be approximately 15 units of affordable housing in a new development on Fairview beside the GO station, up from the original proposal of five. In November, Regional Council approved the purchase of units at 2089-2095 Fairview for $4.1 million as part of a New Unit Acquisition Pilot program to increase the supply of affordable units. The apartments will be operated by the Halton Commuity Housing Corporation and offered to residents on the affordable housing wait list.

My Take: The development at the GO is an ideal spot for affordable housing, in close proximity to transit and services, with the Walmart next door. Partnering with developers to buy a supply of units within a for-profit-development, rather than segregating such housing in stand alone buildings, allow us flexibility to more quickly and less expensively meet the demand for affordable units in Halton, and better integrates affordable housing into the broader community.
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Heritage Burlington launches website

 
Heritage Burlington has launched a website showcasing the stories behind Burlington's built heritage, and they want to hear from you. Got a story to share? Interested in learning more about the different communities that made up Burlington before the city was formed; learn about our agricultural and industrial past; find a property of interest or plan a walking tour; and more.

Visit Heritage Burlington at www.HeritageBurlington.ca

Heritage Burlington is a citizens' advisory committee of council, whose members are volunteer residents from across the city. I'm honoured to serve as the council representative on HB.

Resident survey underway

 
For the next two weeks, households across Burlington will receive calls from a research firm on behalf of the City of Burlington as the city prepares to update its strategic plan, Burlington, Our Future.
 
Forum Research will speak with the residents of 750 households as part of a community survey. Residents will be asked about city services, how involved they feel in city decisions, and how they prefer to hear from the city.
 
The phone interviews will finish by Feb. 19. This information will help City Council as it updates the city’s strategic plan for 2015-18. 
 
In 2011, City Council approved the strategic plan, Burlington Our Future. The plan includes the vision “where people, nature and business thrive” as well as three strategic directions: vibrant neighbourhoods, prosperity and excellence in government.
 
For more information, or to get on the contact list for updates or involvement opportunities related to the city’s 2015-18 strategic plan, email ourfuture@burlington.ca or call 905-335-7600, ext. 7378. 

Ask the Councillor

 
Resident R.E. asks: How about some information on the reuse center on the North Service Road. I understand that either the county and or the city give some support to pay for this very useful store, but it would be nice to know a little about its finances and where there profit goes if any, and what is there payroll and in general how are they controlled to be sure all is on the up and up. Do they publish an operating budget and who gets to see it?
 
Response: The Reuse Centre is operated by The Burlington Reuse Environmental Group, a not-for-profit charitable organization established in 1992. The purpose of the Reuse Centre is to ensure that items which would normally be put in the garbage are available for use by others. Items brought to the Centre are placed in appropriate areas where they can be sold to others for reuse.
 
The Centre runs on volunteers and due to its charitable status, would operate under guidelines set out by the Canada Revenue Agency. The Centre would be required to have a Constitution and By-laws and submit an annual Charity Information Return to the Canada Revenue Agency.
 
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Contact Me

Marianne Meed Ward
City/Regional Councillor, Ward 2, Burlington
marianne.meedward@burlington.ca
905-335-7600, x 7588

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Website: ward2news.ca

Georgie Gartside
Councillor's Assistant
georgie.gartside@burlington.ca
905-335-7600, ext. 7368
Facsimile: 905-335-7881

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