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Person right here.

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Hello, and good evening, Everybody welcome tonight. The clerk informs

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me that it's 07:00 p.m.. And we will begin with

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the meeting. We will start with a moment of silent

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reflection. The singing of Old Canada and the traditional land

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acknowledgment please rise.

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We acknowledge that the land we gather on is part

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of the Treaty lands and territory of the mississaugas of

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the Credit First nation. We recognize the traditional territory of

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the huron, vendette and the hodin ashone people. We also

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acknowledge the First Nation, métis and the inuit people who

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live on these lands. Today, we commit to working towards

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reconciliation. Please be seated. Hello, everyone. Welcome to tonight's meeting.

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I'm councilor samira Ali, and I'll be your budget chair

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for tonight's meeting. At this point I will look to

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the clerk to see if she has any advice for

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us. Thank you. In terms of announcements, I wanted to

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note that a revised agenda was posted on Friday, December

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1, which included the addition of Marshall horner as a

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delegate for this evening's meeting with regard to Staff Report

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Course 57 23 related to the 2024 Capital and Operating

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budget. I wanted to advise that Doug Watson. Has withdrawn

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his registered delegation for this evening's meeting. I also wanted

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to note that the written submission from Hunter, colhane. Regarding

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Staff Report Course 57, 23 2024 Capital and Operating Budget

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was circulated to members of Council in advance of this

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meetings. Thank you, madam clerk, for that update. Are there

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any disclosures of pecuniary interest? Councilor Best? Yes, madam Chair.

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As I discussed with staff earlier, I have declared a

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conflict on the milton Seniors Activity Center part time salaries,

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as my wife is employed there as an instructor. Thank

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you for letting us know. And just for our Council

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members and the audience reference, that will be the. Clause

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for B of the clauses that will be discussed on

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later. Thank you for that declaration councilor. Best at this

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point I've been looking at our cfo to see if

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he has any comments to add. Thank you, Chair. Just

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a couple of minor things just to confirm for Council

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that all of the remaining. Feedback from the let's Talk

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milton page has been received, has been circulated to Council

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this morning along with all of the remaining questions and

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responses from staff. I'd also just like to note that

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similar to prior years, we will be updating Council through

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this meeting with the update as to where the operating

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budget and tax impacts reside along the way. When doing

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so, Council will recall and I'll speak to this a

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little more. In my presentation, there is an updated figure

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from the regional level. That process is not complete yet,

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but there is an updated figure that's been requested. By

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the police board. So for the sake of tonight's discussion,

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we'll refer to the higher number and I'll walk you

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through that in the presentation later on. Thank you. Thank

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you to our cfo for that update. We will now

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move on to the delegate section. Delegation section. Offer agenda

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and I would like to at this point welcome those

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members of the public that have registered as delegates for

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the 2024 budget. I'd also like to remind our delegates

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that they will each have five minutes to provide their

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comments, after which Council may have some questions regarding their

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present. Presentation. And as the clerk has just confirmed that

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one of our delegates has dropped off. So we have

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only one tonight. And that is Mr. Marshall. Please comfort

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Mr. Horner.

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It works. Get myself organized here for a moment.

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My name is Marshall horner. I reside at 524 sunnyvale

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crescent in Milk, in Ontario. Madam Chair, Members of Council

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and staff. On November 20 of this year, I left

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a letter for the Mayor and each member of Council

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expressing my concern of counsel not continuing a program started

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at the 2023 budget meeting of finally ensuring all four

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urban fire stations in milton being completely staffed 24/7 with

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full. Time professional career firefighters. With my calculations, the difference

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between the 9.50% an increase was no specific or transparent

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detail and the 13.6% discussion level recommended by staff. Is

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on our home at 524 sunnyvale Creshen. $60.12. Of that

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amount. $14.0.66 is my cost to provide 24/7 coverage from

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Station three. It may not be sufficient to fully fund

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the staffing, but will it allow me to sleep with

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a clear conscience. Here is my payment. Number of

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years ago, a group of residents seen the need to

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growth in our community. Was going through. Place on the

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current hospital facility. Set about making that need known to

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the provincial government. A campaign of growth was introduced to

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ensure the required services for our new young neighbors would

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need would be here before they arrived. As stated in

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my written presentation, I do not believe that growth pays

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for growth. However. The intent of Bill Three is to

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aggressively increase the number of homes made available in our

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community. A level which will create in the future. A

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unique burden on the residents to support reasonable new infrastructure

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services. As such. The province must accept the responsibility to

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provide the seed money to support that insistent demand for

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housing. They should provide the monies required to ensure safety

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and other services. Are in place as the new communities

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mature to a level to support these amenities. If Council

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stands together to meet our current obligation to fund the

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staffing of Station Three, I believe it becomes incumbent upon

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people such as myself to ensure the higher levels of

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government are made aware of what we feel are their

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oblig. Obligations in helping our communities grow. In a safe

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and secure environment. A challenge if Council tonight supports each

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other in providing equal services to all current residents, I

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will engage in along with encouraging other members of our

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community. Starting tomorrow to impact what we feel for present

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and possible future. Provincial Representatives Obligations to be met. Perhaps

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at this time we replace the postcards used for the

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hospital campaign with modern day social media. To contact all

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political parties to remind them of their responsibility to turn

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growth pays for growth to Growth enhances value. In our

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community. A couple of years ago, I raised the question

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of the actual number of full time, 24, 7365 day

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per year fire units available. And a senior member of

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Council waited until I left the podium before asking a

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member of the fire Department. A question was not. In

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the same vein as my statement, he received a political

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but inaccurate answer. As I had left the podium, I

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was not able to address the false statement. Tonight, I

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would appreciate one of two courtesies. Questions in reference to

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my presentation be addressed before I leave the podium in

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order for me to properly clarify my position and or

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statements. Or any statements made in reference to my presentation

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after I leave the podium, if I stand at my

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seat, I be given a point of order to address

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those statements. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Horner, for your

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delegation and for keeping it within the five minute time

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slot. Are there any members that was difficult. Certainly. And

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appreciate that. Councilor Best has a question for you. Yes.

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Thank you for your presentation and your continued interest in

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the budgets you mentioned about. The previous statement. Could you

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just highlight to Council what that statement was and what

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you thought was incorrect about it. At the time. We

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had one full time fire truck on the streets of

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milton. The question was asked. And it was a chief

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who is no longer here. About the number of vehicles

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that we had. And the answer was that. We had

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a number. We had eight or nine. However. They were

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all part time. Respondents. And as I pointed out in

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my letter that I sent around the time for them

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to respond. Is added dramatically. As I said, right now.

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We're missing eight firefighters. My calculations. And I haven't heard

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anybody dispute them. They may be wrong. Is about 730

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some odd thousand dollars. It's zero point 87% of your

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budget. Thank you. Councilor culky has a question for you.

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Thanks madam Chair, if you wanted to stick around, there

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will be a resolution on the floor at a moment

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later on in relation to Fire Services. If you want

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to hear that so that way you're not. Thank you.

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I do have some questions with regard to. The presentation

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that was done, I guess last week and the minutes

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that were presented for that. There were some ambiguous. Answers.

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The question itself was ambiguous, and some of the answers

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I feel were ambiguous. One of the people that I

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have a great deal of concern for. And because of

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my age, it may affect me and that's the schlegel,

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retirement people. They may be one of the organizations that

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I'm looking at. To perhaps retire to and one of

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the things I intend to do is to ask them

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where they stand and what information they have available. Thank

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you. Thank you, Mr. Owner. Your comments have been noted

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by our staff and with regards to the comments about

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the budget and the questions you sent earlier, I'm pretty

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sure our staff will reach out to. You and address

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those questions. Thank you for your time tonight. That's fine.

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The questions that I have. I intend. To Slagel because.

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I'm seriously considering, and I want to know what information

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they had available to them. I feel that there's a

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great danger in that fire nation only having. Half staff.

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And. As I said I spent 4 hours driving up

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and down the streets. Thank you. Thanks for letting us

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know. Thank you, thank you. And we had just one

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delegation tonight. And we have no other delegation. So we

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will move on to the presentations part of tonight's agenda.

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And I would like to invite our cfo Glenn Cohen

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to the podium in order to provide a brief presentation

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regarding the 2024 budget. Welcome, Glenn. Thank you, Chair. Good

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evening, everyone. So I will be brief tonight. Just provide

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a summary, more introduction to getting into the deliberation. And

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I'll just touch on a few of the points that

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we did touch on in the workshop as well last

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week, just starting from a process perspective, touching on both.

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Where we have been and where we currently are. The

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process really goes back to the early summer from a

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public engagement perspective, even before that, this year, because we

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did the Citizen Engagement Survey earlier in actually late 2022.

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This is the first budget that we're utilizing those results

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updated results from noting that they've been fairly consistent between

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the different. Studies we've undertaken. More recently, we've had the

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budget workshop and, of course, the release of the proposed

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budget on November 15. This is the first budget process

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that's utilizing the new legislation. So the step we're currently

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in is the 30 day period where Council can make

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amendments to the proposed budget, followed by an opportunity for

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a veto process. And potential override process subject to decisions

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made by Council and the Mayor. In terms of how

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we've come from the September report to the final budget

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that's presented in November. This is just a quick summary

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of some of the larger steps taken to go from

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what was identified as a pressure to ultimately what is

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the recommended budget that is tabled in front of Council.

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Some of the line items are sustainable in terms. Of

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the steps have been taken in terms of finding reductions

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in spending. New revenue sources potentially deferring a couple of

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items before being introduced to the community. Other elements are

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things like the stabilization reserve and the changes made to

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the infrastructure funding, which there is a plan within the

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multi year plan to either phase. Those out or reintroduce

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them in the case of the infrastructure annual funding amount.

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With those changes, the budget that is tabled is a

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$98 million levy. Ultimately, as you can see summarized here

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by Department of Note is from the gross cost. There

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is approximately half of the revenue being nonproperty tax base,

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with user fees being one of the larger sources within

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the various program areas. Also, of Note is the fact

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that in addition. To the town's budget is approval of

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the Dbie budget here tonight. And just as a reminder

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that that was approved by the board. So it's relaying

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the information that's already been board approved for the dbia.

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Within the Budget there are a number of. Ways in

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which the budget is supporting and investing in the Council's

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strategic plan. I won't read the list in front of

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you, which is really itself just. A short and abbreviated

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list of what you'll find in the budget document. But

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certainly it touches on areas that were identified as priority,

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including transit investment in technology, in facilities and in people.

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And we continue some of the processes for planning those

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next phases of growth with the work that's anticipated in

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2024 as well. Getting to what it means from a

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final tax rate perspective. So this first slide is the

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one that will reflect what's in the budget document in

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front of you. So based on what was known at

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the time of the budget call report in September, and

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based on. The still existing guidance that was given at

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the regional level, the proposed budget would result in, from

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a local perspective, a nine and a half percent change

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in. Our budget. But when we look at all three

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levels of government and the blended rate, what was anticipated

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to be 5.37% total, which is really what the bottom

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line from a property taxpayer would look like on the

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residential side. And you can see here as well. It

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00:22:59,399 --> 00:23:03,754
would translate to around $39 per 100,000 of assessment. So

241
00:23:04,079 --> 00:23:07,314
the change I mentioned in the introductory comments is that

242
00:23:07,719 --> 00:23:10,354
as the region and the police continue to work through

243
00:23:10,679 --> 00:23:12,914
their own process, we do know that there is a

244
00:23:12,959 --> 00:23:16,035
potential for a higher number at their level. From a

245
00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:19,915
timing perspective, their budget will be passed after ours. I

246
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:21,675
believe they have a committee meeting this week and a

247
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:24,515
Council meeting next week. So as you can see here

248
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:28,355
with the revised budget as it's currently being presented at

249
00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:33,775
that level. It would be 5.6% change combined at the

250
00:23:33,820 --> 00:23:36,895
regional level. So with what is proposed in our budget,

251
00:23:37,540 --> 00:23:39,535
what the bottom line on the property tax bill would

252
00:23:39,540 --> 00:23:42,575
be would be in the order of 5.78%. So as

253
00:23:42,620 --> 00:23:45,215
we provide updates tonight, it'll be on the basis of

254
00:23:45,260 --> 00:23:48,815
this 5.6% at the regional level that we'll speak to

255
00:23:49,500 --> 00:23:52,047
once all process. Processes are done and the region has

256
00:23:52,092 --> 00:23:56,367
finalized theirs. We will also be updating the figures and

257
00:23:56,732 --> 00:23:59,207
the final approved budget document that will be available to

258
00:23:59,212 --> 00:24:02,287
the public will reflect the final amounts from each level.

259
00:24:02,981 --> 00:24:07,056
So beyond the current year budget pressure included within our

260
00:24:07,461 --> 00:24:10,656
forecast is the next two years as well as you

261
00:24:10,661 --> 00:24:15,758
can see here. The pressure continues what we were discussing

262
00:24:15,843 --> 00:24:20,437
back in September. Is an order of magnitude. What the

263
00:24:20,482 --> 00:24:22,357
starting points for the next two years could look like

264
00:24:22,402 --> 00:24:25,477
based on what we currently know, it's a continuation of

265
00:24:25,802 --> 00:24:28,197
inflation, albeit not necessarily at as high of a level

266
00:24:28,522 --> 00:24:31,037
as what we see today. But continuing to work in

267
00:24:31,122 --> 00:24:35,037
the inflationary pressures that are on the non residential construction

268
00:24:35,122 --> 00:24:38,317
and capital side will take us a few budget cycles

269
00:24:38,562 --> 00:24:41,925
to fully reflect those. It also. Includes the resumption of

270
00:24:42,210 --> 00:24:45,325
funding for the infrastructure deficit, as well as phase out

271
00:24:45,370 --> 00:24:48,445
of the stabilization Reserve in these years, plus some of

272
00:24:48,450 --> 00:24:51,165
the new growth initiatives that are either anticipated within our

273
00:24:51,490 --> 00:24:54,565
budget or based on when we believe we'll assume various

274
00:24:54,890 --> 00:25:01,784
infrastructure and assets through subdivision agreements. In terms of. A

275
00:25:01,829 --> 00:25:05,064
comparison from a property tax perspective. I'll just share this

276
00:25:05,109 --> 00:25:07,664
one graph tonight, noting there's some others available within the

277
00:25:07,709 --> 00:25:12,022
budget document. This is. The total amount for the average

278
00:25:12,067 --> 00:25:15,633
house. From the most recent bma study. And you can

279
00:25:15,638 --> 00:25:18,993
see milton's position here. And just as a reminder, when

280
00:25:19,038 --> 00:25:21,793
we talk about the per $100,000 numbers to get to

281
00:25:21,838 --> 00:25:25,233
the average, it's a factor of six. So based on

282
00:25:25,318 --> 00:25:29,913
the existing returned rule that we use $600,000 is an

283
00:25:29,918 --> 00:25:33,233
approximate average from a residential perspective. So you can see

284
00:25:33,278 --> 00:25:36,804
here. It's about a $600 per house differential to the

285
00:25:36,809 --> 00:25:41,004
next municipality in our comparator group. And that $600, even

286
00:25:41,369 --> 00:25:45,685
though. What the totals here are reflective of the town,

287
00:25:45,770 --> 00:25:48,285
the region, and the school boards did. The difference in

288
00:25:48,290 --> 00:25:51,403
the 600 is entirely at the local level. Aside from

289
00:25:51,688 --> 00:25:55,083
the operating budget, also included in tonight's agenda is the

290
00:25:55,128 --> 00:25:57,923
Capital Program. So this is just presenting at a summary

291
00:25:58,288 --> 00:26:01,923
level what's included within the 2024 budget. The one note

292
00:26:02,248 --> 00:26:04,483
that maybe makes this slightly different from a normal year

293
00:26:04,808 --> 00:26:07,563
would really be with respect to funding, you would see

294
00:26:07,968 --> 00:26:11,506
that this year, especially there's slightly a little more. Waiting

295
00:26:11,511 --> 00:26:13,986
than what we would be normally used to seeing with

296
00:26:14,071 --> 00:26:17,266
respect to the non growth investment. It's around two thirds

297
00:26:17,511 --> 00:26:19,746
of the overall program. When in a normal year we

298
00:26:19,751 --> 00:26:23,455
would see growth being around two thirds. So that's reflected

299
00:26:23,780 --> 00:26:26,895
in the combination of the different reserves that are proposed

300
00:26:27,180 --> 00:26:30,095
to fund the program. From an investment perspective, you can

301
00:26:30,420 --> 00:26:34,530
see no surprise. Roads and facilities. Are generally our largest

302
00:26:34,615 --> 00:26:38,170
areas of investment and there'll be no different in 2024.

303
00:26:39,408 --> 00:26:41,323
So with that, I'm happy to take any questions now

304
00:26:41,368 --> 00:26:44,323
or through the discussion. And I appreciate the time. Thank

305
00:26:44,368 --> 00:26:47,083
you so much, Glenn, for your presentation. I have councilor

306
00:26:47,368 --> 00:26:50,163
best as the first speaker. Yes. A couple of questions.

307
00:26:50,488 --> 00:26:52,763
Ben. Thanks for your presentation. The work that your staff

308
00:26:53,128 --> 00:26:57,083
have done regarding the Bill 23, the reductions in development

309
00:26:57,168 --> 00:26:59,003
charges. How much of an impact is that having on.

310
00:26:59,324 --> 00:27:03,196
Your budget. So I'll speak to this from two perspectives.

311
00:27:07,090 --> 00:27:09,565
The immediate pressure from a budget perspective with respect to

312
00:27:09,890 --> 00:27:14,093
development charge exemptions. We are including a small increase, $200,000

313
00:27:14,418 --> 00:27:17,533
within the property tax increase next year. For that. Really

314
00:27:17,978 --> 00:27:20,493
we do need to accelerate the additional amounts we add

315
00:27:20,578 --> 00:27:23,693
in future years. For that, it is expected that we're

316
00:27:23,698 --> 00:27:28,242
going to spend around $5 million a year over. The

317
00:27:28,247 --> 00:27:31,922
next number of years on exemptions. Those really relate largely.

318
00:27:31,927 --> 00:27:33,962
And the reason we've seen the increase is because of

319
00:27:34,047 --> 00:27:36,322
secondary units and the fact that those do need to

320
00:27:36,367 --> 00:27:40,602
be funded from a non growth source. So we've been

321
00:27:40,687 --> 00:27:43,402
slowly ramping up the amount in property taxes to fund

322
00:27:43,767 --> 00:27:46,427
those kind of exemptions. From the time we started till

323
00:27:46,472 --> 00:27:49,467
now, we're probably slightly short of $2 million of what

324
00:27:49,472 --> 00:27:51,707
we've been accumulating. But to close the rest of the

325
00:27:51,992 --> 00:27:54,587
gap to that 5 million spend before we draw on

326
00:27:54,632 --> 00:27:57,347
the reserves too significantly, we are going to need to

327
00:27:57,392 --> 00:27:59,627
increase the annual investment, probably in the order of around

328
00:27:59,952 --> 00:28:03,587
half million dollars a year. The more recent legislative changes

329
00:28:03,952 --> 00:28:06,566
in development charges affect. A number of different other areas.

330
00:28:07,211 --> 00:28:10,846
We haven't been affected as significantly yet by those the

331
00:28:10,851 --> 00:28:14,446
two most significant that have the most significant potential for

332
00:28:14,771 --> 00:28:16,526
us would be the next time we open our development

333
00:28:16,811 --> 00:28:19,646
charge bylaw in 2026. If we have to introduce the

334
00:28:19,931 --> 00:28:22,766
phasing, there's a potential for the need to fund that

335
00:28:23,051 --> 00:28:25,286
which would be significant because we'd be talking out of

336
00:28:25,331 --> 00:28:27,763
the in the first year. Alone, 20% of all development

337
00:28:28,088 --> 00:28:30,803
charge revenue and then it would be phasing down over

338
00:28:30,848 --> 00:28:33,923
five years from there. Other areas where they haven't enacted

339
00:28:34,608 --> 00:28:36,963
the regulations yet would be the cost of land. As

340
00:28:37,328 --> 00:28:39,824
an example. So there are going to be more impacts

341
00:28:40,149 --> 00:28:42,384
down the road. There isn't anything included in the property

342
00:28:42,669 --> 00:28:45,064
tax increase we're proposing for next year related to those

343
00:28:45,469 --> 00:28:47,744
yet, but we will continue to monitor and certainly by

344
00:28:47,949 --> 00:28:50,224
the time we're in our next development charge file update,

345
00:28:50,309 --> 00:28:52,504
we may be talking about what's needed to address some

346
00:28:52,789 --> 00:28:56,754
of those future pressures. Thank you information. And if you

347
00:28:56,799 --> 00:29:00,314
had your information back from any provincial staff regarding the

348
00:29:00,399 --> 00:29:03,994
Province's commitment to making Municipalities whole, and how would you

349
00:29:03,999 --> 00:29:08,151
treat. If the money was received in the province in

350
00:29:08,196 --> 00:29:11,805
whatever form. So nothing specific as to what that could

351
00:29:11,850 --> 00:29:14,565
look like. There has been announcement of funding such as.

352
00:29:16,795 --> 00:29:18,190
I want to get the name right here, the Building

353
00:29:18,315 --> 00:29:20,390
Community Fund, the one where if we exceed your growth

354
00:29:20,435 --> 00:29:23,470
target, there would be funding available for municipalities. That's the

355
00:29:23,555 --> 00:29:27,470
closest I've seen for something directly related to that. But

356
00:29:27,755 --> 00:29:29,670
we're still at such an early stage of knowing what

357
00:29:29,715 --> 00:29:31,870
the dollars could actually look like and whether it would

358
00:29:31,915 --> 00:29:35,030
actually resolve some of those other pressures. And if you

359
00:29:35,075 --> 00:29:37,030
were to receive this money, either from the Province or

360
00:29:37,395 --> 00:29:42,331
from Builders, how would you treat that additional revenue. We

361
00:29:42,376 --> 00:29:44,291
would have to look at the specific guidelines that are

362
00:29:44,336 --> 00:29:47,011
provided with it to see how prescriptive they may be.

363
00:29:50,279 --> 00:29:52,554
Certainly where we've had these pressures. I mentioned having to

364
00:29:52,599 --> 00:29:54,314
get up to that 5 million a year. That would

365
00:29:54,359 --> 00:29:56,114
be a great starting point. But we would have to

366
00:29:56,399 --> 00:29:58,394
look to Council as to where the investment is best

367
00:29:58,799 --> 00:30:04,870
made. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor best. Are there any

368
00:30:05,235 --> 00:30:08,710
other questions to our cfo? I'm not seeing any so

369
00:30:08,755 --> 00:30:12,736
thank you so much for your presentation. Okay. Well, we

370
00:30:12,741 --> 00:30:15,416
will now get down to business, which is the business

371
00:30:15,821 --> 00:30:22,879
of the budget. And we are going to now put

372
00:30:23,204 --> 00:30:27,719
all of the recommendations from Report crs 57, two, three

373
00:30:28,084 --> 00:30:31,239
on the floor. In order to allow deliberation. Once on

374
00:30:31,524 --> 00:30:38,860
the floor, we will deliberate each recommendation clause individually. But

375
00:30:39,305 --> 00:30:42,500
withhold the final vote to the very end such that

376
00:30:42,865 --> 00:30:46,544
they can be voted on in their entirety. We will

377
00:30:46,909 --> 00:30:50,064
approach it this way just in case any amendments arise

378
00:30:50,389 --> 00:30:53,624
from the operating budget that affect the capital budget or

379
00:30:53,949 --> 00:30:57,104
vice versa. We will also address the conflict of interest

380
00:30:57,509 --> 00:31:01,555
momentarily. And to that effect, I have a nation that

381
00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:04,595
has been moved by councilor Malbols and seconded by councilor

382
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,515
kalki to put the ten recommendations from Report Co. R.

383
00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:13,471
S. On the floor for deliberation. So that is where

384
00:31:13,836 --> 00:31:17,496
we will start. And due to the declared conflict of

385
00:31:17,781 --> 00:31:20,576
councilor best, we will need to have a housekeeping amendment

386
00:31:20,941 --> 00:31:24,456
to the wording of recommendation Number Four in order for

387
00:31:24,501 --> 00:31:29,256
clarity for Counsel and the public recommendation for will now

388
00:31:29,581 --> 00:31:36,075
read as follows. Four, a. That the 2024 operating budget

389
00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:40,671
for Town and library. Resulting in a net tax levy

390
00:31:41,356 --> 00:31:50,751
of $98,502,101, assuming 2.29. Net assessment growth as

391
00:31:51,156 --> 00:31:55,111
outlined on appendix Four of this report, save and accept

392
00:31:55,156 --> 00:31:58,781
the portion of the Seniors Program salaries and benefits. Be

393
00:31:59,106 --> 00:32:02,301
received for review and any amendments made by Council for

394
00:32:02,706 --> 00:32:06,301
B. That the 2024 operating budget for Seniors, Program salaries

395
00:32:06,386 --> 00:32:11,471
and benefits in the amount of $39,512. We receive a

396
00:32:11,516 --> 00:32:15,149
review on any amendments made by Council. Are there any

397
00:32:15,514 --> 00:32:17,749
concerns or questions on this matter from many members of

398
00:32:18,034 --> 00:32:22,069
Council councilor Chaliner? Thanks, madam Chair, I just had a

399
00:32:22,114 --> 00:32:27,138
question about procedure. So I know there's a number of

400
00:32:27,543 --> 00:32:31,138
amendments that have been put forward by various members of

401
00:32:31,143 --> 00:32:34,618
Council for discussion. At what point are we discussing those.

402
00:32:35,620 --> 00:32:37,575
I will defer to the clerk to answer that question.

403
00:32:38,925 --> 00:32:42,080
Those will be forthcoming. Really, this is a housekeeping amendment

404
00:32:42,405 --> 00:32:45,040
that we need to make in order to reflect the

405
00:32:45,365 --> 00:32:48,520
declared conflict. So as councilor Ali noted earlier on in

406
00:32:48,565 --> 00:32:51,200
the meeting, we'll have to vote separately on four B

407
00:32:51,285 --> 00:32:54,640
just due to the conflict. So we'll proceed through and

408
00:32:54,765 --> 00:32:58,991
address those. Clauses just as soon as we get going

409
00:32:59,356 --> 00:33:02,471
with the rest of the recommendation here. So for this

410
00:33:02,556 --> 00:33:05,591
purpose, this is just for housekeeping at this moment. Okay,

411
00:33:05,916 --> 00:33:08,471
because I think it's fairly obvious to everybody that four

412
00:33:08,556 --> 00:33:09,951
A is a bit of a problem. If you're bringing

413
00:33:09,996 --> 00:33:12,951
forward amendments, you're putting the cart before the horse to

414
00:33:13,036 --> 00:33:15,111
even vote on it. Four B. I get it. There's

415
00:33:15,116 --> 00:33:17,786
a conflict of interest. At this point, it's not approving

416
00:33:18,151 --> 00:33:21,746
any motions, just ensuring that Council is okay with splitting

417
00:33:22,111 --> 00:33:25,146
out four into two clauses, four A, and four B,

418
00:33:25,191 --> 00:33:28,664
which will be considered later on in the meeting. Okay.

419
00:33:29,629 --> 00:33:32,224
Thank you. I'm really happy you asked that question because

420
00:33:32,309 --> 00:33:34,584
it is a little bit confusing. And as we go

421
00:33:34,949 --> 00:33:38,464
along clause by clause, we will achieve more clarity on

422
00:33:38,509 --> 00:33:41,584
this. So seeing as there are no other questions to

423
00:33:41,589 --> 00:33:45,837
this, we will proceed with the required amendments. And now

424
00:33:45,922 --> 00:33:50,799
proceed through the individual recommendations. And address any motions to

425
00:33:50,844 --> 00:33:54,815
amend that Council may want to consider. So I'm going

426
00:33:54,860 --> 00:34:03,442
to clause one now so you can follow along. Clause

427
00:34:03,527 --> 00:34:07,962
One States that the 2024 capital Budget with a gross

428
00:34:08,047 --> 00:34:15,482
amount of $83,660,103 as outlined in appendix Two and the

429
00:34:15,807 --> 00:34:23,916
Capital Forecast with a gross amount of 1,369,298,807. Dollars as

430
00:34:24,241 --> 00:34:27,036
outlined in appendix Three of this Report be received for

431
00:34:27,401 --> 00:34:31,935
review and any amendments made by Council. And as we

432
00:34:31,980 --> 00:34:34,615
discussed before, this is Clause One, I have an amendment

433
00:34:34,940 --> 00:34:38,635
to this clause, which is a motion. And it is

434
00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:42,955
moved by councilor culkin and seconded by councilor best that

435
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,275
a new capital project be added to the 2024 budget

436
00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:50,515
for a stop sign beacon pilot project with a funding

437
00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:57,115
of $72,512 provided from the Studies and other nongrowth capital

438
00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:01,642
res. Reserve and that the pilot provide for the installation.

439
00:35:02,612 --> 00:35:08,613
At one always stop intersection per Ward in 2024. I

440
00:35:08,618 --> 00:35:10,133
have read the motion. I will now go to the

441
00:35:10,378 --> 00:35:14,013
mover and the secondary for any comments. Mover. Councilor kalki,

442
00:35:14,418 --> 00:35:17,413
thank you, madam Chair. So, this motion is in relation

443
00:35:17,498 --> 00:35:20,973
to some common road safety concerns and inquiries I received

444
00:35:20,978 --> 00:35:23,693
from residents, particularly for motorists that fail to stop at

445
00:35:24,018 --> 00:35:26,733
stop signs, which in turn usually results in collisions, near

446
00:35:27,138 --> 00:35:30,836
misses and. Ultimately puts other road users at risk as

447
00:35:31,081 --> 00:35:32,916
well. I'll be the first person to say that the

448
00:35:32,921 --> 00:35:35,676
best way to change driver behavior for this particular offense

449
00:35:36,001 --> 00:35:39,116
is through police enforcement. However, the police can't be everywhere

450
00:35:39,481 --> 00:35:41,236
at once, and I felt that there was still an

451
00:35:41,321 --> 00:35:43,916
opportunity to do more on the town end, and as

452
00:35:43,961 --> 00:35:46,116
a result of that, began speaking with staff to look

453
00:35:46,161 --> 00:35:49,337
into additional alternatives to increase the chances of. Motor Vehicle

454
00:35:49,702 --> 00:35:53,307
Compliance would stop. Signs I was able to obtain collision

455
00:35:53,632 --> 00:35:55,587
data for Always stop signs in all four of our

456
00:35:55,872 --> 00:35:57,787
awards in the community dating back to collisions that have

457
00:35:58,032 --> 00:36:00,867
occurred within a five year period. The most collision prone

458
00:36:01,152 --> 00:36:03,947
intersections are as follows in Word One, the intersection of

459
00:36:04,232 --> 00:36:07,427
Commercial Street and Pine Street saw six collisions in Ward

460
00:36:07,712 --> 00:36:10,107
Two. The intersection of Five Side Road and Boston Church

461
00:36:10,392 --> 00:36:13,472
Road saw 17 collisions. And Ward Three, the intersection of

462
00:36:13,517 --> 00:36:16,872
cleric boulevard and Bennett boulevard saw seven collisions. And in

463
00:36:16,917 --> 00:36:20,032
word four, the intersection of farmstead Drive in mclaughlin Avenue

464
00:36:20,317 --> 00:36:23,152
saw seven collisions. So within a five year period, these

465
00:36:23,197 --> 00:36:26,672
are the intersections in each part of each of our

466
00:36:26,677 --> 00:36:29,352
awards that have the most collisions. And having said that

467
00:36:29,437 --> 00:36:31,632
the intent of this resolution is to have flashing red.

468
00:36:32,134 --> 00:36:35,209
Beacons mounted on top of all Waste Stop signs at

469
00:36:35,254 --> 00:36:38,442
our four most. Collision prone intersections in all of our

470
00:36:38,727 --> 00:36:40,682
wards as a one year pilot program in an effort

471
00:36:40,687 --> 00:36:43,762
to reduce collisions and increased stop sign compliance, as per

472
00:36:44,007 --> 00:36:46,762
the Ontario Traffic Manual, flashing red beacons are unceded to

473
00:36:46,767 --> 00:36:49,322
be used in areas that have poor stop sign compliance

474
00:36:49,367 --> 00:36:52,402
and a collision history with the collision data that we

475
00:36:52,447 --> 00:36:54,802
do have that I mentioned a moment ago. This resolution,

476
00:36:55,127 --> 00:36:57,897
if passed, would be a data driven. Approach towards furthering

477
00:36:57,942 --> 00:37:00,377
our efforts to improve road safety. And I'm hoping I

478
00:37:00,382 --> 00:37:02,697
can get Council support for this. Thank you, madam chair.

479
00:37:03,102 --> 00:37:07,512
Thank you, councilor kalki, councilor best. Yes, madam Chair. I

480
00:37:07,957 --> 00:37:12,032
fully support councilor Kelkey's recommendation. As some of us might

481
00:37:12,397 --> 00:37:16,441
remember, there was a number of these. Stop red beacons

482
00:37:16,806 --> 00:37:19,081
in the rural area over the years and bring them

483
00:37:19,406 --> 00:37:23,841
into the urban area would also assist because unfortunately there's

484
00:37:24,166 --> 00:37:29,641
the three ease of traffic enforcement, engineering and education. Unfortunately,

485
00:37:30,046 --> 00:37:33,641
the provinces from my opinion, has been lacked in terms

486
00:37:34,006 --> 00:37:36,276
of education. We have to. Step it up in terms

487
00:37:36,601 --> 00:37:41,260
of enforcement. And engineering. We've had a real traffic issue

488
00:37:41,625 --> 00:37:45,915
throughout. The ones as you mentioned here by the councilor

489
00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:50,426
highlight how dangerous it is. When you have every two

490
00:37:50,471 --> 00:37:54,673
months. And actually almost every three weeks happening in these

491
00:37:54,798 --> 00:37:59,637
intersections, we need to find better ways. To enforce our

492
00:37:59,722 --> 00:38:02,877
traffic laws and let people know that there is stopplace.

493
00:38:03,162 --> 00:38:06,877
We've had numerous fatalities in this community due to people

494
00:38:07,242 --> 00:38:13,757
not obeying subsigns. Thank you, Councilor. Best. Certainly. Visibility is

495
00:38:13,842 --> 00:38:16,877
important. I have a speaker's list to this motion. Councilor

496
00:38:16,962 --> 00:38:20,133
tesser dixon is next. Thank you, madam Chair. Just a

497
00:38:20,178 --> 00:38:22,453
question of clarity to the mover and second or through

498
00:38:22,498 --> 00:38:25,133
you, madam Chair, is it part of the motion that

499
00:38:25,418 --> 00:38:28,133
those specific intersections will be the ones that receive the

500
00:38:28,178 --> 00:38:32,701
pilot? Or that'll be something we can discuss. Councilor kalki.

501
00:38:32,746 --> 00:38:35,061
Yeah. Through you, madam Chair. No, that can still be

502
00:38:35,346 --> 00:38:37,981
discussed. The motion is simply to get funding secured from

503
00:38:38,066 --> 00:38:40,701
our Capital Program project to be able to fund the

504
00:38:40,706 --> 00:38:42,941
fact that we can do four intersections, one in each

505
00:38:43,306 --> 00:38:45,981
Ward. And these are numbers that I got from collision

506
00:38:46,306 --> 00:38:48,541
data within the past five years. But it's still up

507
00:38:48,586 --> 00:38:50,341
to each Council to have a say in which stop

508
00:38:50,426 --> 00:38:53,407
sign or intersection they would like to see. These at.

509
00:38:54,781 --> 00:38:57,096
Thank you, madam Chair. Through you. I appreciate that because

510
00:38:57,741 --> 00:39:00,536
the volume of accidents is startling. However, we have other

511
00:39:00,861 --> 00:39:03,576
intersections where the volume may not be as high, but

512
00:39:03,861 --> 00:39:05,936
the severity of the accidents can be much more serious,

513
00:39:06,621 --> 00:39:09,736
mostly in our rural areas. So I like the fact

514
00:39:09,781 --> 00:39:12,296
that that would be left up to the individual counselors

515
00:39:12,381 --> 00:39:15,580
and traffic staff. Councilor kolki yeah. Thanks, madam Chair. And

516
00:39:15,785 --> 00:39:18,180
also further to that these are collisions that get reported

517
00:39:18,185 --> 00:39:20,740
and are actually documented. There's also collisions that might not

518
00:39:20,785 --> 00:39:26,023
get reported. So there's that element as well. Thank you,

519
00:39:26,068 --> 00:39:29,863
Councilor cocky. Anything further? Councilor tesser. Okay, going on to

520
00:39:29,868 --> 00:39:35,210
the next speaker. Councilor malbos. Thank you, madam. Chair. Yeah,

521
00:39:35,575 --> 00:39:40,767
I'll be supporting us in Ward four. Intersection mentioned by

522
00:39:40,812 --> 00:39:45,167
the counselor zim Ward 417 basically double of any of

523
00:39:45,452 --> 00:39:49,677
the other locations. So I'll support this as a pilot

524
00:39:50,042 --> 00:39:53,237
project. And I would be pushing that into section be

525
00:39:53,522 --> 00:39:56,997
the one in our Ward. John and I board that

526
00:39:57,442 --> 00:39:59,837
have that beacon stop sign so that we can monitor

527
00:40:00,522 --> 00:40:03,237
see basically what impact it does have and does it

528
00:40:03,322 --> 00:40:05,957
help solve the problem or mitigate the problem? So I'll

529
00:40:05,962 --> 00:40:09,816
be supporting this. Thank. You, councilor Malbout. I have councilor

530
00:40:10,181 --> 00:40:12,896
Jazz. Next. Thank you, madam Chair. Prioritizing. The safety of

531
00:40:12,901 --> 00:40:15,976
our residents is of utmost importance and in this pursuit,

532
00:40:16,221 --> 00:40:19,016
I support this motion. By investing in this targeted safety

533
00:40:19,061 --> 00:40:21,656
measure, we commit to fostering a secure environment for our

534
00:40:21,981 --> 00:40:25,616
community, addressing critical aspects of road safety and safeguarding the

535
00:40:25,901 --> 00:40:28,866
well being of our residents. Due to this. Reason I

536
00:40:29,191 --> 00:40:31,902
support this motion. Thank you very much. Thank you, councilor

537
00:40:32,187 --> 00:40:36,262
Jazz. Next I have councilor chalender. Thanks, madam Chair. In

538
00:40:36,307 --> 00:40:39,302
principle, I am supportive of what is being proposed, but

539
00:40:39,707 --> 00:40:43,709
I need to hear from staff in terms. Of. The

540
00:40:44,074 --> 00:40:46,909
human resource implications for this. It wasn't something that was

541
00:40:47,194 --> 00:40:49,974
planned for this year. And I also want to know

542
00:40:50,299 --> 00:40:56,624
if they're comfortable with proceeding with it generally. Because the

543
00:40:56,669 --> 00:40:58,904
cost is one thing. But who's going to do the

544
00:40:59,309 --> 00:41:03,224
work? So that's my question to engineering. Okay. I think

545
00:41:03,509 --> 00:41:07,400
Commissioner Hogan will answer this question. Thank you for the

546
00:41:07,445 --> 00:41:12,074
question. Councilor, challenge. We do have the people power to

547
00:41:12,159 --> 00:41:16,726
implement this and we are definitely supportive of it. Great,

548
00:41:17,171 --> 00:41:21,668
thank you. Thank you, councilors. Any other comments or questions.

549
00:41:23,171 --> 00:41:24,726
I don't see any. So I will call the vote.

550
00:41:24,771 --> 00:41:28,606
Now on this motion. All those in favor. Please raise

551
00:41:28,651 --> 00:41:31,072
your hand. And it is carried.

552
00:41:43,022 --> 00:41:45,217
At this point I would like to ask my colleagues

553
00:41:45,582 --> 00:41:47,817
on Council if there are any further motions to be

554
00:41:48,142 --> 00:41:51,697
considered in relation to Clause One of the 2024 Capital

555
00:41:51,782 --> 00:41:55,195
Budget and forecast. I do not see any, so I'm

556
00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:59,793
going to move on to clause two. Now. Clause two

557
00:42:00,118 --> 00:42:04,225
States that in accordance with. Ss 51 of the Development

558
00:42:04,550 --> 00:42:09,795
Charges Act of 1997. And S. Five of Ontario, Regulation

559
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:15,101
82, 98. It is Council's clear intention that any eligible

560
00:42:15,466 --> 00:42:19,581
excess capacity provided by the 2024 Capital Program will be

561
00:42:19,906 --> 00:42:24,299
paid for by future development charges. That is, clause Two.

562
00:42:24,744 --> 00:42:26,979
Are there any motions to be considered in relation to

563
00:42:27,304 --> 00:42:32,230
this clause. Seeing none. I will owe councilor Sorry, Mayor

564
00:42:32,595 --> 00:42:38,372
Krant. No amendments to that madam Chair. And again, through

565
00:42:38,817 --> 00:42:42,412
you to Glenn to drill exactly right down. Really? What

566
00:42:43,097 --> 00:42:45,532
does this mean? Bottom line, I guess a little bit

567
00:42:45,817 --> 00:42:48,932
of clarity just on clause, too. As I understand, I

568
00:42:48,977 --> 00:42:51,572
want to be correct in my understanding of it. Thank

569
00:42:51,577 --> 00:42:55,610
you, Mayor Kranst. Glenn will answer that. Both clause two

570
00:42:55,935 --> 00:42:58,770
and three are really housekeeping items based on the legislation,

571
00:42:59,535 --> 00:43:04,014
by having Council's clear intention. It'll make sure that we

572
00:43:04,379 --> 00:43:07,894
have the opportunity to maximize our development charge utilization in

573
00:43:07,939 --> 00:43:09,774
the future and make sure that we get the revenue

574
00:43:10,099 --> 00:43:14,762
where we need it. Anything further, Mr. Mayor? Okay, well,

575
00:43:15,167 --> 00:43:17,962
as I'm seeing no other motions to this clause, I'm

576
00:43:18,007 --> 00:43:21,162
going to move to clause three. Clause three States that

577
00:43:21,527 --> 00:43:25,482
any donations, grants, or subsidies applied in the 2024 Capital

578
00:43:25,847 --> 00:43:29,482
Program to projects with development charges, funding are to offset

579
00:43:29,807 --> 00:43:36,206
the nongrow. Nongrowthrelated cost of those projects, unless otherwise specified.

580
00:43:36,894 --> 00:43:38,889
Are there any motions to be considered in relation to

581
00:43:39,134 --> 00:43:42,165
this clause from any of my colleagues on Council. I

582
00:43:42,450 --> 00:43:44,485
am seeing none. So I'm now going to move on

583
00:43:44,850 --> 00:43:48,685
to clause four, which is as clerk advised before, has

584
00:43:48,770 --> 00:43:51,445
been divided into two A and B because of the

585
00:43:51,450 --> 00:43:54,965
conflict of English declared earlier in the meeting. So going

586
00:43:55,290 --> 00:43:58,925
to clause for a clause for A as amended, States

587
00:43:59,290 --> 00:44:03,645
that the 2024 operating budget for Town and. Library Consulting

588
00:44:04,050 --> 00:44:13,845
Sorry, resulting in a net tax levy of $98,582,101, assuming

589
00:44:14,210 --> 00:44:19,485
2.29%. Net assessment growth as outlined on appendix Four of

590
00:44:19,810 --> 00:44:22,485
this report, save and accept a portion of the seniors.

591
00:44:22,685 --> 00:44:26,400
Program salaries and benefits be received for review and any

592
00:44:26,685 --> 00:44:32,500
amendments made by Council. And to that effect. On clause

593
00:44:32,865 --> 00:44:36,644
for a I have a number of motions. And the

594
00:44:36,649 --> 00:44:40,964
first motion before me is moved by councilor kulki and

595
00:44:40,969 --> 00:44:46,657
seconded by councilor best. That a senior transportation planning technologist

596
00:44:47,022 --> 00:44:51,457
won full time employee be added to the 2024 operating

597
00:44:51,742 --> 00:44:58,817
budget with funding from the tax levy of $155,055. I

598
00:44:58,862 --> 00:45:00,737
will now go to the mover of the motion to

599
00:45:01,102 --> 00:45:04,419
speak to it. Thanks, madam Chair. I just want to

600
00:45:04,424 --> 00:45:07,939
start off by talking about the recent strategic planning that

601
00:45:07,944 --> 00:45:09,739
we did. And one of the first imperatives that we

602
00:45:10,064 --> 00:45:12,699
established through that planning process was that we would be

603
00:45:12,784 --> 00:45:15,939
investing in people. And this is what this motion really

604
00:45:16,264 --> 00:45:18,539
speaks to. And the fact that the intent is to

605
00:45:18,824 --> 00:45:22,099
secure funding to hire a senior transportation technologist. This role

606
00:45:22,344 --> 00:45:24,139
would provide the town. With a lead person who will

607
00:45:24,224 --> 00:45:27,779
work on the Transportation Master Plan study and facilitate the

608
00:45:28,064 --> 00:45:31,019
implementation of it. The position is really important because it

609
00:45:31,024 --> 00:45:33,499
would play a key role in creating further active transportation

610
00:45:33,824 --> 00:45:37,299
initiatives, townwide and work towards making cycling and walking a

611
00:45:37,344 --> 00:45:40,859
safe and desirable alternative to driving. In addition, this position

612
00:45:41,584 --> 00:45:44,906
would review the high profile. Development applications that we receive,

613
00:45:45,191 --> 00:45:48,826
including those high density, mixed use developments where balancing both

614
00:45:49,151 --> 00:45:52,818
vehicle and pedestrian traffic is really critical and important. This

615
00:45:52,903 --> 00:45:55,258
position would also be the lead for all halton Region

616
00:45:55,543 --> 00:45:58,698
Road environmental assessments and will ensure that milton has a

617
00:45:58,703 --> 00:46:01,418
strong voice at that table. One of the key parts,

618
00:46:01,703 --> 00:46:03,578
like I said of our strategic plan was to invest

619
00:46:03,903 --> 00:46:05,418
in people and in order for us to serve milton

620
00:46:05,703 --> 00:46:08,538
residents appropriately, we must make investments like these right now

621
00:46:08,903 --> 00:46:11,938
rather than deferring them. To ensure we have applicable resources

622
00:46:12,223 --> 00:46:14,283
in town staffing to help. Deliver positive results for our

623
00:46:14,328 --> 00:46:18,890
community. Thank you. Thank you, councilor Jazz councilor best as

624
00:46:19,215 --> 00:46:22,450
the seconder yes, just echoing the comments as we've seen

625
00:46:23,135 --> 00:46:27,843
with. A recent high density applications. We need to have

626
00:46:28,168 --> 00:46:31,883
the staff there to plan and anticipate traffic projections because

627
00:46:32,248 --> 00:46:35,243
we cannot rely on consultants alone and who knows who

628
00:46:35,288 --> 00:46:38,003
might even reduce costs in the future, because as we

629
00:46:38,288 --> 00:46:41,963
saw in the discussions on Thompson Road and Ontario Street

630
00:46:42,248 --> 00:46:44,998
and the impact of additional traffic, we need. To know

631
00:46:45,323 --> 00:46:47,758
the implications and also plan ahead in terms of our

632
00:46:48,043 --> 00:46:51,518
capital budgets, to make sure that we have the appropriate

633
00:46:51,963 --> 00:46:57,317
traffic and also transit coordination as well. Thank you, councilor.

634
00:46:57,682 --> 00:47:01,197
Best I have speakers list now. Councilor ijazz is first.

635
00:47:01,682 --> 00:47:05,117
Thank you, madam. Chair. The incorporation of a senior Transportation

636
00:47:05,162 --> 00:47:09,437
planning technologist into the 2024 Operations budget would exceed the

637
00:47:09,522 --> 00:47:13,157
9.5% tax increase outlined in the mayor's proposed 2024 budget,

638
00:47:13,522 --> 00:47:17,661
which aligns with Council's request budget direction. To this reason,

639
00:47:17,986 --> 00:47:20,507
I cannot support this motion. Thank you very much. Thank

640
00:47:20,552 --> 00:47:24,587
you, councilor. Jazz, councilor challenge. The next speaker. Thanks, madam.

641
00:47:24,952 --> 00:47:28,867
Chair, I can't support this motion, either. There's a couple

642
00:47:28,912 --> 00:47:33,548
of things. That I think about. When I hear this.

643
00:47:34,826 --> 00:47:36,701
The second thing is, Well, the first thing is we

644
00:47:36,986 --> 00:47:39,781
are investing in terms of people. There's 20 new hires

645
00:47:40,106 --> 00:47:43,516
coming on this year. If this budget is approved. The

646
00:47:43,561 --> 00:47:48,149
fact is. That when you look at those things that

647
00:47:48,194 --> 00:47:52,627
drive revenue in this Corporation. We aren't where we need

648
00:47:52,952 --> 00:47:58,040
to be, whether it's housing starts or other revenue. Our

649
00:47:58,125 --> 00:48:01,349
population isn't where it was projected to be. And so

650
00:48:02,154 --> 00:48:05,429
the need isn't immediate. And I think staff recognized that

651
00:48:06,034 --> 00:48:08,029
in not bringing it forward into the budget this year.

652
00:48:08,394 --> 00:48:11,109
And I think that needs to be respected. The other

653
00:48:11,154 --> 00:48:15,653
thing is. That we are way over in terms of.

654
00:48:16,770 --> 00:48:20,162
A budget. That, quite frankly is satisfactory to the majority

655
00:48:20,407 --> 00:48:24,298
of miltonians we're in a recession. Interest rates are high.

656
00:48:24,663 --> 00:48:29,936
Mortgage defaults are increasing. People not paying their taxes is

657
00:48:30,021 --> 00:48:34,470
increasing. I think 2024 is going to be like 2023.

658
00:48:36,132 --> 00:48:40,745
And for that reason. I think that. We need to

659
00:48:40,750 --> 00:48:42,705
really put the foot on the brake and not the

660
00:48:42,750 --> 00:48:46,965
gas pedal in 2024. If we have to wait another

661
00:48:47,090 --> 00:48:50,110
twelve months for this position to be filled. In my

662
00:48:50,195 --> 00:48:53,790
mind that's just common sense. The need is not there

663
00:48:54,155 --> 00:48:59,737
this year. Thanks. Thank you, councilor Chaliner first time Speaker

664
00:49:00,222 --> 00:49:04,497
Mayor Grant. Yeah. Thank you, madam Chair Nagay. And I

665
00:49:04,902 --> 00:49:08,746
cannot and will not support. The request there as well.

666
00:49:09,822 --> 00:49:12,257
But just a little bit of clarity, as I recall.

667
00:49:13,461 --> 00:49:17,976
The report that's going forward to Council suggest 20 new

668
00:49:18,421 --> 00:49:21,976
staff people on the assumption that this was to pass

669
00:49:22,621 --> 00:49:24,496
and on the assumption that the nexon was to pass.

670
00:49:24,861 --> 00:49:30,274
We're talking about. 22 additional. Full time individuals correct me

671
00:49:30,319 --> 00:49:33,736
if I'm wrong. Maybe our cfo can respond to that.

672
00:49:34,221 --> 00:49:41,523
That's correct. Recently we were circulated with a document.

673
00:49:44,276 --> 00:49:47,431
That suggests there's many people in the employee of the

674
00:49:48,196 --> 00:49:53,291
town that makes over $100,000. I believe that's correct. So

675
00:49:53,656 --> 00:49:58,171
I'm just assuming that those additional people will be $100,000.

676
00:49:58,576 --> 00:50:05,102
So really, what we're talking about here. Is $2,200,000. In

677
00:50:05,187 --> 00:50:10,767
new employees. For taxes forever. Is that what we're talking

678
00:50:11,092 --> 00:50:14,727
about? Correct me if I'm wrong on that assumption. Rounding

679
00:50:14,732 --> 00:50:19,851
that off at $100,000, an additional 2 million. If I

680
00:50:19,856 --> 00:50:23,051
can, I'll answer that in two parts from the perspective

681
00:50:23,376 --> 00:50:25,131
that what's in the tax rate in front of you

682
00:50:25,176 --> 00:50:28,251
now, before these new positions for the 20 that we

683
00:50:28,296 --> 00:50:32,731
identified in the book, it's around $850,000. The reason for

684
00:50:33,096 --> 00:50:40,405
that is because. There are revenues from other sources. There

685
00:50:40,650 --> 00:50:43,845
were contract savings, and there was some reprioritizations. There was

686
00:50:43,890 --> 00:50:46,645
also some positions that won't start until October next year.

687
00:50:47,010 --> 00:50:48,845
To your point, though, about what the gross cost is,

688
00:50:49,490 --> 00:50:52,165
I do think the 2 million is a fair. I

689
00:50:52,170 --> 00:50:54,845
don't have the exact tally for the 20 positions, but

690
00:50:54,890 --> 00:50:57,645
that would be a more fair representation of the total.

691
00:50:58,290 --> 00:51:00,906
Just noting, though, that. A significant amount is identified in

692
00:51:00,951 --> 00:51:04,520
other forms. So I think, madam Chair, I've made my

693
00:51:04,645 --> 00:51:06,440
point. And I'm well aware there may not be hired

694
00:51:06,725 --> 00:51:09,800
until June or July or next October. But let me

695
00:51:10,165 --> 00:51:15,493
assure you, 2025. This Council will still be here. It's

696
00:51:15,858 --> 00:51:18,213
going to be felt dramatically then. And I know what's

697
00:51:18,218 --> 00:51:21,310
being projected right now. As at least at twelve or

698
00:51:21,635 --> 00:51:26,950
14% increase at this point for 2025 and probably just

699
00:51:26,995 --> 00:51:30,470
as much if not more for 2026. I'm talking about

700
00:51:30,515 --> 00:51:32,750
the term of this Council, and I know this is

701
00:51:32,755 --> 00:51:34,550
not the time for statements, but I just want to

702
00:51:34,835 --> 00:51:37,590
be very clear as to what we're doing, adding more

703
00:51:38,355 --> 00:51:41,554
on to the future. I make my point. Thank you,

704
00:51:41,879 --> 00:51:45,954
Mr. Mayor. First time Speakers List councilor tesser dirkson is

705
00:51:46,279 --> 00:51:52,222
next. Thank you, madam. Chair. A question. About long term

706
00:51:52,587 --> 00:51:56,014
staffing. So in traffic. And this might be a question

707
00:51:56,099 --> 00:52:01,496
that our cao answers. About. How the movement of staff

708
00:52:01,821 --> 00:52:03,936
that are currently in traffic would be affected by this

709
00:52:03,981 --> 00:52:07,758
position? Would it be affected? How. Would this position integrate

710
00:52:08,083 --> 00:52:10,438
with the staffing plans for the rest of the Council

711
00:52:10,723 --> 00:52:14,013
term, for example. Looking at our Co for response. I

712
00:52:14,018 --> 00:52:15,893
mean, I can answer it, or our Commissioner can answer

713
00:52:15,938 --> 00:52:18,853
it, but there's no impact on any other. It's an

714
00:52:18,898 --> 00:52:22,133
additional capacity with an expertise that we don't presently don't

715
00:52:22,138 --> 00:52:28,343
have in that Department. Okay, thank you. We have Councilor

716
00:52:28,908 --> 00:52:34,558
Melbores as the first time. Oh, Councilor. Has a floor

717
00:52:34,843 --> 00:52:38,827
and has a follow up question. I do. Thanks, Glenn.

718
00:52:38,872 --> 00:52:40,787
Could you tell us what the dollar impact would be.

719
00:52:41,913 --> 00:52:48,034
For this. So it would be $155,000 investment, which would

720
00:52:48,079 --> 00:52:51,994
be on a per $100,000 basis. Fifty one cents. At

721
00:52:52,039 --> 00:52:54,754
a local level, it would be a zero point 17%

722
00:52:55,119 --> 00:53:00,581
increase on the blended. It would be 0.7%. Sorry. I'm

723
00:53:00,986 --> 00:53:03,741
trying to do quick math. So on the average mpac

724
00:53:04,426 --> 00:53:08,901
assessed home of $600,000 annually, it would be around $3.

725
00:53:09,106 --> 00:53:14,429
Okay. Thank you. Anything further? Councilor Tesserkson. Okay, good. So

726
00:53:14,474 --> 00:53:19,561
I have Councilor Melbourne next. Thank you, madam chair. I'll

727
00:53:19,566 --> 00:53:24,904
not be supporting this motion. For. The reason Echo the

728
00:53:24,949 --> 00:53:30,068
comments made by councilor Chaloner. Staff didn't see the need

729
00:53:30,473 --> 00:53:34,108
or the priority to include this in the budget, so

730
00:53:34,553 --> 00:53:37,148
I don't see it as a major priority or an

731
00:53:37,193 --> 00:53:39,988
issue. And my other concern is if we brought on

732
00:53:40,593 --> 00:53:44,388
this extra fte for the senior traffic strategy. I suspect

733
00:53:44,713 --> 00:53:46,548
that when we look at it, we're going to hire

734
00:53:46,833 --> 00:53:49,065
an outside consultant anyway. Just like we do with everything

735
00:53:49,270 --> 00:53:53,654
else. So I'll not be supporting that. Thank you. I

736
00:53:53,699 --> 00:53:57,574
have councilor kalki next. Thanks, madam Chair. I'm just wondering

737
00:53:57,619 --> 00:54:00,334
if we could get the Commissioner, Commissioner Hogan, to speak

738
00:54:00,579 --> 00:54:02,454
about the importance and this role a bit further in

739
00:54:02,459 --> 00:54:04,294
relation to what it would offer, what it would provide.

740
00:54:06,293 --> 00:54:10,984
Missionar Hogan. Thank you, councilor calkey. It is a senior

741
00:54:11,349 --> 00:54:14,384
level position. And as the cao said, we currently don't

742
00:54:14,389 --> 00:54:17,384
have that level of expertise in our division. And it's

743
00:54:17,389 --> 00:54:21,024
really a holistic position that would look at milton as

744
00:54:21,029 --> 00:54:25,985
a whole from a transportation planning perspective. With an eye.

745
00:54:27,007 --> 00:54:31,899
To. Implement and be the lead on our broader transportation

746
00:54:31,984 --> 00:54:35,379
Master Plan and all of the active transportation initiatives and

747
00:54:35,464 --> 00:54:39,419
making all of those connections throughout town. As councilor culky

748
00:54:39,464 --> 00:54:42,579
also said, we do have a number of very complex.

749
00:54:43,862 --> 00:54:48,377
Mixed use, higher density development applications, and those reviews do

750
00:54:48,782 --> 00:54:51,897
require a level of expertise that we don't currently have.

751
00:54:52,702 --> 00:54:56,177
We're making things work, but I think a position such

752
00:54:56,222 --> 00:55:02,020
as this could make things better. The goal is not

753
00:55:02,385 --> 00:55:05,020
to retain consultants, to do this type of work and

754
00:55:05,065 --> 00:55:07,340
to do it in house. And I do foresee potential

755
00:55:07,665 --> 00:55:11,660
savings in that regard. Moving forward. Thank you. Thank you,

756
00:55:11,985 --> 00:55:15,762
Commissioner. I have Councilor. Clark, he still has the floor.

757
00:55:15,887 --> 00:55:18,002
Yes. Thank you, madam Chair. And also when we get

758
00:55:18,047 --> 00:55:19,602
to the point for voting, if this could be a

759
00:55:19,647 --> 00:55:22,362
recorded vote just so that's noted down. And Secondly, again,

760
00:55:22,447 --> 00:55:24,122
for the cost it was mentioned, it's going to be

761
00:55:24,167 --> 00:55:28,522
at the $600,003.06 in turn. Like Commissioner said, it's going

762
00:55:28,527 --> 00:55:30,362
to be investing back into the community for things like

763
00:55:30,687 --> 00:55:35,091
active transportation, cycling, creating those walkable communities that. We all

764
00:55:35,376 --> 00:55:37,931
want to do with these high densities coming in these

765
00:55:38,016 --> 00:55:40,851
new developments. It's a really important position. I feel that

766
00:55:41,456 --> 00:55:46,014
we need to incorporate. Thank you, Councilor cocky. I have

767
00:55:46,299 --> 00:55:49,094
Councilor challoner as the next speaker. Yeah, just very quickly.

768
00:55:51,234 --> 00:55:55,544
We do have a requirement. To have the applicant get

769
00:55:55,869 --> 00:56:00,641
involved in this process by hiring their own consultant. Maybe

770
00:56:01,006 --> 00:56:03,241
that's going to change. I don't know. I haven't talked

771
00:56:03,286 --> 00:56:05,841
to the Commissioner about it. She may not be in

772
00:56:05,886 --> 00:56:08,919
a position to answer that question tonight. But at any

773
00:56:09,004 --> 00:56:14,017
rate. When I see the decline right now. In high

774
00:56:14,342 --> 00:56:17,769
density construction in our community. Where cranes are being pulled

775
00:56:18,174 --> 00:56:21,857
down. I don't think. It's important this year. I'm not

776
00:56:22,182 --> 00:56:24,817
saying that it's never important. What I'm saying is, let's

777
00:56:24,862 --> 00:56:27,897
talk about it in 2025, because we have enough on

778
00:56:28,222 --> 00:56:32,161
our plate in this budget. And at any rate I

779
00:56:32,166 --> 00:56:35,241
will be curious down the road to see how this

780
00:56:35,566 --> 00:56:39,809
position integrates. With the development community is required to do

781
00:56:40,494 --> 00:56:44,806
by our Corporation today. Thanks. Thank you, councilor Chalner. I

782
00:56:44,851 --> 00:56:49,433
have councilor tesser Jrkson. Next. Thank you, madam. Chair. Two

783
00:56:49,838 --> 00:56:55,005
questions. Firstly, do comparator municipalities. At the same level of

784
00:56:55,330 --> 00:56:57,925
progression as we are with respect to our development and

785
00:56:57,970 --> 00:57:00,325
growth. Have this type of position or a comparable position.

786
00:57:01,751 --> 00:57:04,518
Second. Question, and you may not be able to answer

787
00:57:04,803 --> 00:57:07,598
this, but do staff foresee a savings as a result

788
00:57:07,643 --> 00:57:12,131
of this position in the future. Is there a benefit

789
00:57:12,456 --> 00:57:16,262
to spending the money now. The first part of your

790
00:57:16,347 --> 00:57:21,182
question. Sorry if comparator municipalities. I just wrote down Yes.

791
00:57:26,518 --> 00:57:30,753
Comparable municipalities would have a position of this nature in

792
00:57:31,038 --> 00:57:34,233
terms of future cost savings. I do think we would

793
00:57:34,278 --> 00:57:37,833
have the ability to leverage this position to reduce consulting

794
00:57:38,238 --> 00:57:45,757
fees. Councilor challenger is correct. The development industry does do

795
00:57:45,802 --> 00:57:49,397
their own traffic impact studies. This position would lead more

796
00:57:49,762 --> 00:57:53,317
of the town initiated work, including the Transportation Master Plan

797
00:57:53,642 --> 00:57:58,326
and active transportation Strategy. Moving forward. Councilor Tesla I was

798
00:57:58,611 --> 00:58:01,006
debating whether to ask this question or not. Why did

799
00:58:01,291 --> 00:58:07,927
staff not put this position in their proposal. Commissioner Hogan.

800
00:58:10,609 --> 00:58:12,924
Thank you for the question. It was a position that

801
00:58:13,569 --> 00:58:16,044
I did put forward originally in the budget and due

802
00:58:16,369 --> 00:58:20,733
to other competing interests, it was not put forward. Anything

803
00:58:21,098 --> 00:58:28,238
further? Councilor. Tessa. Drikson. Okay. Does the cio want to

804
00:58:28,523 --> 00:58:32,979
add a comment. Okay. I'm seeing no other speakers to

805
00:58:33,264 --> 00:58:36,019
this motion. So a recorded vote has been asked for,

806
00:58:36,264 --> 00:58:37,379
and so I will leave it to the clerk to

807
00:58:37,664 --> 00:58:42,992
deal with that. Thank you for this recorded vote. I

808
00:58:42,997 --> 00:58:47,051
will ask all members. In favor of the motion to

809
00:58:47,456 --> 00:58:50,931
please stand. And I will recognize you standing as in

810
00:58:50,976 --> 00:58:55,729
favor. Thank you. I'm seeing Councilor culky in favor. Councilor

811
00:58:56,094 --> 00:59:00,889
best in favor. Councilor Marshall in favor Councilor tesser dirkson

812
00:59:00,934 --> 00:59:07,598
in favor and Councilor elite in favor. Thank you. Be

813
00:59:07,683 --> 00:59:11,661
seated. I'll now ask members opposed to Please stand. I'm

814
00:59:11,946 --> 00:59:16,501
seeing Mayor krantz opposed Councilor chalin are opposed. Councilor Melbourne

815
00:59:16,746 --> 00:59:22,127
opposed Councilor Jazz opposed that motion is carried. Thank you,

816
00:59:22,452 --> 00:59:28,569
madam chit, clerk. We will now move on to the

817
00:59:28,614 --> 00:59:31,249
Second Amendment to the Clause. It's a motion moved by

818
00:59:31,654 --> 00:59:36,969
councilor kalki, seconded by councilor Malbouth that a platoon chief,

819
00:59:37,374 --> 00:59:40,849
one full time employee be added to the 2024 operating

820
00:59:40,894 --> 00:59:50,435
budget with funding from the tax levy of. $186,723. I

821
00:59:50,440 --> 00:59:52,435
will go to councilor kalki as the mover of the

822
00:59:52,440 --> 00:59:55,739
motion to speak. Thank you, madam. Chair. Obviously, in the

823
00:59:55,784 --> 00:59:59,259
start, we heard a delegation advocating for fire services as

824
00:59:59,304 --> 01:00:02,686
well. So anyways, to move forward with this one, I

825
01:00:02,691 --> 01:00:04,166
think it's important as well as one of the key

826
01:00:04,491 --> 01:00:07,486
items identified in our current fire master plan was the

827
01:00:07,491 --> 01:00:08,926
fact that we need to hire up to a total

828
01:00:09,251 --> 01:00:12,366
of four platoon fire Chiefs in response to our forecasted,

829
01:00:12,451 --> 01:00:15,886
municipal and Department growth. We currently have two platoon fire

830
01:00:15,971 --> 01:00:18,246
Chiefs, and the objective towards getting towards a total of

831
01:00:18,651 --> 01:00:22,973
four would secure sufficient. Incident Command on a 24/7 basis,

832
01:00:23,218 --> 01:00:25,053
I want to highlight the importance of ensuring that we

833
01:00:25,098 --> 01:00:27,413
remain on track with this particular item given that all

834
01:00:27,458 --> 01:00:30,333
of us have rapid growth coming into our communities with

835
01:00:30,418 --> 01:00:32,653
particular means of growth being by way of high density

836
01:00:33,058 --> 01:00:35,773
development. It worries me when items like these are deferred,

837
01:00:35,778 --> 01:00:37,853
and I believe that it's important to ensure that we

838
01:00:37,898 --> 01:00:41,053
remain committed to our forecasted plans, especially as it pertains.

839
01:00:41,125 --> 01:00:44,000
To our emergency services. Having said that the importance of

840
01:00:44,285 --> 01:00:47,000
having sufficient incident command when responding to and dealing with

841
01:00:47,285 --> 01:00:51,040
an emergency situation is vital towards contributing towards the overall

842
01:00:51,365 --> 01:00:54,040
safety and well being of our community. Having strong incident

843
01:00:54,405 --> 01:00:57,560
command allows for an emergency response to become more efficient,

844
01:00:57,885 --> 01:01:01,644
improves communication span of control, and allows for. A more

845
01:01:01,689 --> 01:01:04,404
organized and structured response to an emergency. I'm proud of

846
01:01:04,449 --> 01:01:07,164
the investments we've made thus far into fire. However, I

847
01:01:07,489 --> 01:01:10,644
feel like we need to move further right now, like

848
01:01:11,049 --> 01:01:13,324
I said, to ensure we have better staffing for our

849
01:01:13,609 --> 01:01:15,924
fire Department to reach the targets outlined in our fire

850
01:01:16,289 --> 01:01:20,724
master plan. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor palky. Councilor Malbol

851
01:01:20,969 --> 01:01:24,011
says the secondary. Right. Thank you, madam. Chair. I'm having

852
01:01:24,456 --> 01:01:30,165
a second and support this nation number one priority. Of

853
01:01:30,210 --> 01:01:32,805
this Council is not only the safety protection of our

854
01:01:32,850 --> 01:01:37,657
residents, but of our employees as well. This position was

855
01:01:38,022 --> 01:01:42,009
included in our Fire Master plan. That we had approved

856
01:01:42,334 --> 01:01:45,849
and should have been included in this budget. Removing this

857
01:01:46,214 --> 01:01:51,529
position to save $186,000 while we're spending nearly $1 million

858
01:01:51,934 --> 01:01:54,689
on an arts center to me, doesn't make sense, but

859
01:01:55,014 --> 01:01:58,274
maybe I have my priorities wrong. So I would ask

860
01:01:59,039 --> 01:02:02,274
this Council to support this motion and support our fire

861
01:02:02,639 --> 01:02:07,114
Department. Thank you, Councilor Malbout. I have a Speaker Councilor

862
01:02:07,439 --> 01:02:12,592
challenge. Next. Thanks madam Chair, I won't be supporting the

863
01:02:12,957 --> 01:02:20,663
motion. The Fire Master plan. Is Unfortunately. I don't want

864
01:02:20,668 --> 01:02:23,743
to say that it's completely irrelevant, but it's becoming irrelevant.

865
01:02:24,918 --> 01:02:27,273
As I explained earlier when I was asked about supporting

866
01:02:27,678 --> 01:02:31,931
this motion. The six individuals who are now a part

867
01:02:31,976 --> 01:02:34,771
of the 911 program were not a part of that

868
01:02:35,136 --> 01:02:39,211
Master plan. Things have changed, and the master plan needs

869
01:02:39,536 --> 01:02:42,692
to be changed to reflect that. Unfortunately. And again I

870
01:02:43,057 --> 01:02:49,005
go back. To. We don't have the population. We don't

871
01:02:49,010 --> 01:02:54,233
have the level of development of activity. We have a

872
01:02:54,278 --> 01:02:59,203
fire station that isn't being fully utilized today. And we

873
01:02:59,248 --> 01:03:05,160
can't wait twelve months to reconsider this. When staff have

874
01:03:05,285 --> 01:03:07,960
recommended that it be put off for twelve months, that's

875
01:03:08,245 --> 01:03:11,602
all they're asking us to do. And that's all we're

876
01:03:11,887 --> 01:03:14,242
asking of ourselves. And when you look at the metrics,

877
01:03:14,487 --> 01:03:18,986
the metrics don't support. Today, the demand for this position

878
01:03:19,471 --> 01:03:24,051
immediately. The metrics today support the need for six people

879
01:03:24,416 --> 01:03:26,771
to get us into the 21st century with a 911

880
01:03:27,096 --> 01:03:30,211
system that wasn't contemplated in the last fire Master plan.

881
01:03:31,279 --> 01:03:33,674
So in addition to that, I go back to and

882
01:03:34,039 --> 01:03:37,074
I'm sorry if it comes across as a harangue, but

883
01:03:37,159 --> 01:03:42,932
our current economic situation. Demands that we be fiscally responsible

884
01:03:43,257 --> 01:03:47,319
more so than ever before. And it's not going to

885
01:03:47,324 --> 01:03:52,178
make a difference in twelve months. We're not at risk

886
01:03:52,823 --> 01:03:56,197
if we were at any kind of risk. We'd be

887
01:03:56,242 --> 01:03:59,677
hearing from the insurance companies of Canada, and we'd be

888
01:03:59,722 --> 01:04:03,317
hearing from our residents because the cost of ensuring their

889
01:04:03,362 --> 01:04:05,597
homes and their businesses would be going up. They aren't

890
01:04:05,962 --> 01:04:08,997
as a result of our fire service support in this

891
01:04:09,042 --> 01:04:12,917
community, we have excellent fire service support. We can wait

892
01:04:13,042 --> 01:04:16,918
until the 2025 budget to look at. This. And as

893
01:04:17,243 --> 01:04:20,118
I indicated, and as we all know, things have changed.

894
01:04:20,483 --> 01:04:24,358
Thank you. Thank you, councilor Chaliner. I have councilor adil

895
01:04:24,683 --> 01:04:28,598
kalki. Next. Thanks, madam Chair frankenstein to maybe ask the

896
01:04:28,643 --> 01:04:30,638
questions to the fire Chief if he could further speak

897
01:04:30,923 --> 01:04:34,038
to the importance of what this rule would entail if

898
01:04:34,043 --> 01:04:36,428
it was added back into the budget. And given the

899
01:04:36,713 --> 01:04:38,988
fact that it's not in the budget as it stands

900
01:04:38,993 --> 01:04:42,496
right now. If we weren't funding the communication staff, would

901
01:04:42,821 --> 01:04:45,256
we still be having this investment being put into the

902
01:04:45,581 --> 01:04:50,498
budget if that wasn't there. Thank you, Chief ghetto, I

903
01:04:50,503 --> 01:04:53,218
see you at the podium. Please proceed. Thank you, madam.

904
01:04:53,583 --> 01:04:57,538
Chair to the role of Platoon Chief. Platoon Chief reports

905
01:04:57,903 --> 01:05:00,658
directly to the Deputy Fire Chief. Functions as a Supervisor

906
01:05:00,703 --> 01:05:05,498
who coordinates supervisors and participates in firefighting related activities and

907
01:05:05,783 --> 01:05:10,194
coordinates between the other divisions. Public Education, prevention. Training and

908
01:05:10,519 --> 01:05:14,474
other activities. Platoon chief's primary role is emergency response. I

909
01:05:14,519 --> 01:05:17,843
think that was already discussed. And they improved the scene

910
01:05:17,888 --> 01:05:21,723
through communication span of control and they delineate honesty and

911
01:05:21,728 --> 01:05:27,907
personnel's roles and responsibilities. Platoon chief, specialize. They're specialized experts

912
01:05:28,712 --> 01:05:33,427
in leadership and instant command. They manage complex instance. A

913
01:05:33,472 --> 01:05:35,707
complex incident would be a high rise fire, a large

914
01:05:35,832 --> 01:05:40,559
industrial fire. A firefighter May day or rescue, and they

915
01:05:40,604 --> 01:05:42,959
ultimately contribute to the overall safety and well being of

916
01:05:43,004 --> 01:05:48,154
our community. They also have administrative tasks that offset the

917
01:05:48,199 --> 01:05:52,633
workload of the Deputy Chiefs. They improve also our effective

918
01:05:52,958 --> 01:05:56,033
response force because it allows the captives to work at

919
01:05:56,078 --> 01:05:58,273
a tactical level, while an instant commander works at a

920
01:05:58,318 --> 01:06:03,162
strategic level and also creates an extra layer. Of management

921
01:06:03,447 --> 01:06:08,159
during large. Scale Disasters and Supports our Emergency Operations Center.

922
01:06:09,361 --> 01:06:12,476
Thank you, Chief. Anything further, Councilor kulfi? Yes. Thank you,

923
01:06:12,801 --> 01:06:15,516
Chief, for that. So obviously that right there speaks to

924
01:06:15,841 --> 01:06:17,756
the gravity of what this rule would entail and how

925
01:06:18,041 --> 01:06:20,796
important it is and making sure we get to where

926
01:06:21,121 --> 01:06:22,556
we need to be will help us get to that

927
01:06:22,561 --> 01:06:26,396
point where we have 24/7 incident command and adequate emergency

928
01:06:26,481 --> 01:06:31,254
response. Again, emergency. Services, they get paid for what they're

929
01:06:31,259 --> 01:06:33,414
expected to do many of the times compared to what

930
01:06:33,459 --> 01:06:35,974
they're actually doing. And when an emergency happens, which is

931
01:06:36,019 --> 01:06:40,090
obviously hard to predict. It's really, really important that we

932
01:06:40,135 --> 01:06:42,450
have those resources. This would bring us a step closer

933
01:06:42,815 --> 01:06:45,850
towards fulfilling our requirements under the Master Plan, which was

934
01:06:45,935 --> 01:06:49,530
created obviously for a particular reason to satisfy the growth

935
01:06:50,255 --> 01:06:53,082
that we're seeing in the community. Thank you, Council. Cookie.

936
01:06:53,407 --> 01:06:57,288
Thank you, chief. Next on my Speaker's list is councilor

937
01:06:57,653 --> 01:07:01,648
Best. Yes. Thank you, madam Chair. And I support the

938
01:07:02,053 --> 01:07:06,488
motion here and especially accounts for Malhos comments as well.

939
01:07:07,253 --> 01:07:09,968
Staff have presented the budget and the best their ability.

940
01:07:10,253 --> 01:07:13,001
We have to look at it. And not only how

941
01:07:13,046 --> 01:07:16,558
much, but also where we're spending our money. I initially

942
01:07:16,643 --> 01:07:20,878
would have supported six firefighters, as the chief mentioned, unfortunately,

943
01:07:20,963 --> 01:07:22,638
wasn't able to get that in in time, but I

944
01:07:22,683 --> 01:07:25,878
certainly support the one platoon chief, but I could sympathize

945
01:07:25,923 --> 01:07:30,741
with councilor Chowner's concerns. It may be reduced and residential,

946
01:07:31,026 --> 01:07:32,381
but all you have to do is call along James

947
01:07:32,666 --> 01:07:35,021
Snow parkway in Fifth Line and see the millions of

948
01:07:35,106 --> 01:07:38,221
square feet of construction going on right now from large

949
01:07:38,626 --> 01:07:42,141
corporations with buildings. That when a firefighter gets there, we

950
01:07:42,146 --> 01:07:44,861
don't know what's in there unless they have the planning

951
01:07:45,226 --> 01:07:48,301
and the staffing ahead of time to plan out how

952
01:07:48,306 --> 01:07:50,233
to fight a fire. Because when you have a million

953
01:07:50,598 --> 01:07:54,547
square foot building as we've seen. By some on browning

954
01:07:54,552 --> 01:07:58,107
Street North recently, you don't know what's in there. And

955
01:07:58,192 --> 01:08:01,187
unless you have the staff that have the experience in

956
01:08:01,272 --> 01:08:03,947
training, you might be sending someone in there to be

957
01:08:04,232 --> 01:08:06,587
injured or killed if you don't know how to do

958
01:08:06,592 --> 01:08:09,587
it right. So I certainly support this. And I support

959
01:08:10,032 --> 01:08:13,656
anticipating ahead of time, not reacting after the fact. Thank

960
01:08:13,941 --> 01:08:16,696
you, Councilor. Best Councilor Jazz is next. Thank you, madam

961
01:08:16,741 --> 01:08:19,696
Chair, this is a question for staff, the six firefighters,

962
01:08:19,741 --> 01:08:26,000
the individuals that are being added to Ng, 911. When

963
01:08:26,045 --> 01:08:30,184
do they start. Do they get employed in the upcoming

964
01:08:30,509 --> 01:08:36,009
year, or. When the program goes to. So of the

965
01:08:36,054 --> 01:08:37,929
six, there are two that are expected to be part

966
01:08:38,214 --> 01:08:40,849
of the project implementation, so they would start earlier in

967
01:08:40,894 --> 01:08:45,093
the year in February, and they're funded from capital. The

968
01:08:45,178 --> 01:08:47,533
tax dollars for all six positions begins at the start

969
01:08:47,818 --> 01:08:51,933
of October next year, and then annualizes fully in 2025.

970
01:08:53,053 --> 01:08:59,103
Anything further? Councilor. Jess. Thank you, madam chair. Councilor cokey's.

971
01:08:59,348 --> 01:09:02,183
Next. Thanks, madam Chair. Two things. One again recorded vote

972
01:09:02,428 --> 01:09:05,103
for this one as well, please. And two, it wasn't

973
01:09:05,148 --> 01:09:06,463
brought up by any of the other Council, but I

974
01:09:06,508 --> 01:09:08,663
want to talk about the cost associated to this in

975
01:09:08,948 --> 01:09:10,463
gwen. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here.

976
01:09:10,508 --> 01:09:13,143
But what I have here is this would impact the

977
01:09:13,428 --> 01:09:16,583
overall rate by zero point 21%. Change the blended to

978
01:09:16,668 --> 01:09:22,252
0.8%. Which would equate to a 60 residential assessment value

979
01:09:22,697 --> 01:09:24,572
increase. So if my math is correct here at that

980
01:09:24,857 --> 01:09:27,612
600,000 number, it'll be three point sixty six cents to

981
01:09:27,857 --> 01:09:31,052
fund this particular position. Is that correct on your end

982
01:09:31,097 --> 01:09:35,108
as well? Correct. Okay. I'm glad we have that clarity.

983
01:09:35,153 --> 01:09:36,868
Now. I'm looking around and seeing if any of my

984
01:09:36,913 --> 01:09:41,425
other colleagues have any questions. I'm seeing none. So a

985
01:09:41,470 --> 01:09:43,385
recorded work has been called and I will leave it

986
01:09:43,390 --> 01:09:46,031
to the clerk to take it from here. Thank you.

987
01:09:46,396 --> 01:09:48,271
I'd like to ask all members who are in favor

988
01:09:48,636 --> 01:09:58,613
of the motion to please stand. I see Councilor

989
01:09:58,898 --> 01:10:00,973
cokey in favor of a motion. Councilor Best in favor

990
01:10:01,378 --> 01:10:04,493
of the motion. Councilor Marshall in favor of the motion.

991
01:10:04,818 --> 01:10:07,893
Councilor Malbuff in favor of the motion. Councilor tesser dirkson

992
01:10:07,938 --> 01:10:10,693
in favor of the motion. Councilor Jazz in favor of

993
01:10:11,058 --> 01:10:15,186
the motion. Can I now, please ask. Members to be

994
01:10:15,231 --> 01:10:18,426
seated. Councilor elite. Excuse me in favor of the motion.

995
01:10:19,560 --> 01:10:21,915
Can I now ask for members who are opposed. Please

996
01:10:22,320 --> 01:10:25,962
stand. And I'm seeing councilor chalin are opposed, and Mayor

997
01:10:26,287 --> 01:10:32,377
cramps opposed. That motion is carried. Thank you, Colleagues. That

998
01:10:32,702 --> 01:10:35,777
motion is carried. As the clerks just mentioned, we will

999
01:10:35,822 --> 01:10:41,683
move on to the next. Motion, which is basically an

1000
01:10:42,008 --> 01:10:45,603
amendment to clause four, a. It is moved by councilor

1001
01:10:45,928 --> 01:10:50,683
tesser, dirkson, and seconded by councilor. Oh, I see the.

1002
01:10:51,885 --> 01:10:55,920
Apologize. Yeah. Just before you move on, madam Chair there

1003
01:10:56,285 --> 01:10:59,440
with regards to what just happened in those two or

1004
01:10:59,485 --> 01:11:03,400
three previous motions, I'd like to know the total and

1005
01:11:03,445 --> 01:11:06,920
what impact that has, because the next two are reasonably

1006
01:11:07,005 --> 01:11:09,240
complicated. I think I've got it figured out. But I

1007
01:11:09,245 --> 01:11:13,743
think. It's important on bottom line. Where we're presently at.

1008
01:11:14,810 --> 01:11:17,565
Because I think we're getting very close to double digits.

1009
01:11:18,010 --> 01:11:20,685
9.5 is close enough for me to call it double

1010
01:11:21,010 --> 01:11:23,805
digits, but I think we're inching closer to it. So

1011
01:11:24,130 --> 01:11:27,536
good. Gosh only knows on the next two motions. But

1012
01:11:27,621 --> 01:11:31,656
may or may not happen. So little clarity on what

1013
01:11:32,021 --> 01:11:35,616
the possibility is on the assumption that the next two

1014
01:11:35,981 --> 01:11:38,656
motions were to pass, and if they didn't pass, what

1015
01:11:39,021 --> 01:11:42,336
impacted is this already got on what we just passed.

1016
01:11:43,461 --> 01:11:46,176
Thank you, Mayor Cranza. I know that I saw our

1017
01:11:46,541 --> 01:11:48,616
financial team crunching numbers all along, so I'm pretty sure

1018
01:11:48,941 --> 01:11:51,536
they have a number ready for us. We do at

1019
01:11:51,821 --> 01:11:56,376
the local level. We are sitting at 9.88%. On the

1020
01:11:56,741 --> 01:12:04,007
blended level. We're at 5.93%. We've added dollar and assessment.

1021
01:12:04,372 --> 01:12:09,949
So $6.0.66 on an average house. Madam Chair. Thank You,

1022
01:12:09,994 --> 01:12:15,008
Mr. Mayor. Any other questions or comments from my colleagues.

1023
01:12:16,114 --> 01:12:19,658
Seeing none. I will move on. To the next motion,

1024
01:12:20,423 --> 01:12:23,458
which is moved by councilor tesser dirkson and seconded by

1025
01:12:23,503 --> 01:12:27,978
councilor Marshall that the transfer from the Tax stabilization Reserve

1026
01:12:28,343 --> 01:12:35,043
to the 2024 operating Budget be reduced by $750,000. With

1027
01:12:35,088 --> 01:12:38,443
an equivalent increase in the net tax levy in order

1028
01:12:38,808 --> 01:12:43,725
to fund the related ongoing expenses. I've read the motion.

1029
01:12:43,770 --> 01:12:45,525
I will go to the mover of the motion. Councilor.

1030
01:12:45,570 --> 01:12:49,605
Tesser. Dirkson. Now, thank you, madam Chair. Will. This motion

1031
01:12:49,970 --> 01:12:53,845
certainly isn't as shiny as the other two. It's a

1032
01:12:53,850 --> 01:12:56,965
little bit dry, but frankly, it's a motion about sound

1033
01:12:57,330 --> 01:13:00,005
financial management. And in reviewing the budget, I had noticed

1034
01:13:00,050 --> 01:13:02,325
that 1.7 million was being transferred from the tax rate

1035
01:13:02,650 --> 01:13:06,321
stabilization. Reserve Fund in order to mitigate the impact to

1036
01:13:06,406 --> 01:13:10,546
taxpayers. That bothered me a little bit going into the

1037
01:13:10,831 --> 01:13:12,666
projections for next year and the year after that and

1038
01:13:12,671 --> 01:13:16,166
the year after that. In speaking to Staff originally, this

1039
01:13:16,611 --> 01:13:22,103
motion, I was debating 1.5 million. And when we looked

1040
01:13:22,468 --> 01:13:25,221
at the numbers. We just had to take into consideration

1041
01:13:25,826 --> 01:13:27,301
what kind of impact that was going to have on

1042
01:13:27,626 --> 01:13:30,021
the average person. So the figure we arrived at was

1043
01:13:30,306 --> 01:13:34,935
$750,000. And to continue to pull from the tax rate

1044
01:13:35,260 --> 01:13:37,495
stabilization Reserve bothers me for a number of reasons. Number

1045
01:13:37,540 --> 01:13:39,895
one, it doesn't align with our financial management policies, which

1046
01:13:40,180 --> 01:13:43,813
we have committed, to which we have. And we have

1047
01:13:44,138 --> 01:13:46,493
significant pressures going into next year. We've already heard 2023

1048
01:13:46,459 --> 01:13:52,108
and 2024 going to be similar. 2025, 2026. Probably worse.

1049
01:13:52,433 --> 01:13:55,428
And I have heard some talk that 2027 2028 is

1050
01:13:55,473 --> 01:13:57,708
going to level out. I don't have a Crystal ball.

1051
01:13:57,753 --> 01:14:01,308
All it takes is another pandemic. Another war that affects

1052
01:14:01,993 --> 01:14:05,268
supply chain inflation. I don't want to kick this can

1053
01:14:05,673 --> 01:14:08,262
down the road. I want us to stare it in

1054
01:14:08,267 --> 01:14:12,262
the face and make the difficult decision to be shouldn't

1055
01:14:12,507 --> 01:14:15,262
be a difficult decision to make a sound financial decisions

1056
01:14:15,307 --> 01:14:18,022
for our residents and for ourselves. So that's the basis

1057
01:14:18,347 --> 01:14:21,022
of this motion. As far as a dollar amount, I'm

1058
01:14:21,027 --> 01:14:23,982
really focused on the dollar impact, the wallet impact to

1059
01:14:24,027 --> 01:14:29,439
the average person. And we figured that it was $14.68,

1060
01:14:29,604 --> 01:14:34,874
I believe. For the average home per year. That averages

1061
01:14:34,959 --> 01:14:38,676
out to I think a dollar 22 a month. In

1062
01:14:38,721 --> 01:14:40,476
order for us to say to our residents that we

1063
01:14:40,761 --> 01:14:43,116
thought hard and long about how we're managing their money,

1064
01:14:43,441 --> 01:14:46,196
how we're managing our reserves. And I think it's something

1065
01:14:46,521 --> 01:14:48,436
that I can certainly justify to residence. And I'm sure

1066
01:14:48,721 --> 01:14:52,236
others can, too. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor. Just the

1067
01:14:52,281 --> 01:14:57,137
secondary of the motion. Councilor Marshall. So christina, councilor Tesla

1068
01:14:57,662 --> 01:15:01,414
had the chance. To take all the excellent talking points.

1069
01:15:02,179 --> 01:15:04,974
But I just want to remind everybody that when we

1070
01:15:05,019 --> 01:15:07,654
looked at this exact thing last year, that we said

1071
01:15:08,299 --> 01:15:10,734
we were going to defer payment until this year, and

1072
01:15:10,739 --> 01:15:14,214
now we're here. So I want everybody to just remember

1073
01:15:14,619 --> 01:15:17,814
what type of planning was intended at this time last

1074
01:15:18,259 --> 01:15:22,187
year, before deciding. What to do this year? And is

1075
01:15:22,232 --> 01:15:25,827
it actually worth deferring this till next year or the

1076
01:15:25,872 --> 01:15:29,307
year after when we've already seen what those potential impacts

1077
01:15:29,352 --> 01:15:34,490
are going to be. Thank you, councilor Marshall. I'm looking

1078
01:15:34,575 --> 01:15:36,690
around to see if any of my other colleagues have

1079
01:15:36,735 --> 01:15:41,041
any comments to add. Councilor Chaliner has a comment. Thanks

1080
01:15:41,166 --> 01:15:49,396
madam Chair, I won't be supporting the motion. And. I

1081
01:15:49,401 --> 01:15:52,636
really wish individual members of Council would get away from

1082
01:15:52,721 --> 01:15:57,116
what this is costing per unit or per program or

1083
01:15:57,481 --> 01:16:02,970
per individual because. Taxpayers look at the cumulative effect. The

1084
01:16:03,055 --> 01:16:07,211
bottom line. And at this point. We're going to be

1085
01:16:07,496 --> 01:16:11,211
well over 6% well over 10% if we do this.

1086
01:16:12,771 --> 01:16:17,458
Is not good financial management. To not use this without

1087
01:16:17,823 --> 01:16:22,552
something to replace it with it's. Poor financial management. And.

1088
01:16:24,768 --> 01:16:26,243
I indicated and I don't know how many people read

1089
01:16:26,288 --> 01:16:29,403
the Q and a's. But you'll recall if you attended

1090
01:16:29,448 --> 01:16:34,231
the last meeting. I talked to the Treasurer about establishing

1091
01:16:34,316 --> 01:16:41,878
two income funds. Essentially. To. Replace. The Tax stabilization rate.

1092
01:16:42,963 --> 01:16:47,435
Reserve. As a revenue source for the operating budget. And

1093
01:16:47,760 --> 01:16:51,035
to replace the non growth reserve with an income fund

1094
01:16:51,400 --> 01:16:54,955
so that it is funded that way and not through

1095
01:16:55,360 --> 01:17:00,649
the operating budget. That's good financial management. We have a

1096
01:17:00,694 --> 01:17:05,294
revenue problem and. We have done nothing in this budget

1097
01:17:05,659 --> 01:17:08,814
to address that. And it's the second time that we've

1098
01:17:08,819 --> 01:17:11,814
had this in the last three years. I'd forgotten about

1099
01:17:12,219 --> 01:17:14,974
2021, but we had a problem then, too. It was

1100
01:17:15,219 --> 01:17:21,644
fairly obvious what it was. In my view. If Council

1101
01:17:21,689 --> 01:17:25,204
Marshall and councilor tesser dirkson said this is the last

1102
01:17:25,609 --> 01:17:29,305
year. I would support that. But at this point, that's

1103
01:17:29,310 --> 01:17:32,767
not what they're asking. We simply can't afford to do

1104
01:17:33,052 --> 01:17:38,785
that. And please. Don't. Say things like it's only $14

1105
01:17:38,910 --> 01:17:41,785
a month or whatever it is, it's meaningless. What is

1106
01:17:41,790 --> 01:17:44,985
the cumulative effect of this budget on taxpayers? Everything else

1107
01:17:45,070 --> 01:17:49,580
is pointless. Mindless, quite frankly, and insulting. If they said

1108
01:17:49,945 --> 01:17:53,735
this is the last year they've got my support. Because

1109
01:17:54,180 --> 01:17:56,735
in January, we're going to have as a counsel a

1110
01:17:56,740 --> 01:17:59,895
workshop where we're going to discuss these income funds and

1111
01:17:59,940 --> 01:18:03,135
how they could replace the Tax stabilization Reserve. I agree

1112
01:18:03,500 --> 01:18:06,135
with councilor tesser dirkson. This is not how it should

1113
01:18:06,180 --> 01:18:08,855
be used. The Treasurer knows that I've made that clear.

1114
01:18:09,500 --> 01:18:12,775
It's here to deal with end of year balance issues.

1115
01:18:14,007 --> 01:18:15,482
Yes, you can use it for the purpose. We've been

1116
01:18:15,487 --> 01:18:17,242
using it for the last ten years, but it's not

1117
01:18:17,527 --> 01:18:22,926
good fiscal management. And so I can't support. This. I

1118
01:18:22,971 --> 01:18:24,886
have thought long and hard about an alternative. I've been

1119
01:18:25,171 --> 01:18:28,686
discussing it with the cao and the Treasurer since the

1120
01:18:28,731 --> 01:18:34,042
summertime. This is a serious issue. And what is being

1121
01:18:34,127 --> 01:18:37,562
proposed is not good financial management. What we will discuss

1122
01:18:37,967 --> 01:18:39,922
in January is a move in the right direction towards

1123
01:18:40,287 --> 01:18:42,922
good financial management. And I hope it's something that happens

1124
01:18:43,367 --> 01:18:47,193
so I can't support this. I apologize. Thank you, councilor

1125
01:18:47,278 --> 01:18:50,393
chaloner. I have councilor just as the next speaker. Thank

1126
01:18:50,678 --> 01:18:53,473
you, madam Chair. I respectfully disagree with the proposal to

1127
01:18:53,758 --> 01:18:56,473
reduce the transfer from the Tax stabilization Reserve to the

1128
01:18:56,718 --> 01:19:03,256
2024 operating budget by $750,000. With an equivalent increase in

1129
01:19:03,541 --> 01:19:05,976
the net tax levy. This adjustment will result in a

1130
01:19:05,981 --> 01:19:09,096
higher tax increase for milton residents, placing an added burden

1131
01:19:09,421 --> 01:19:11,696
on taxpayers. On a separate note, we started with the

1132
01:19:11,981 --> 01:19:15,176
mayor's budget, which aligns seamlessly with the Council's requested budget

1133
01:19:15,421 --> 01:19:19,056
direction of 9.5%. Now with the previous additions, the tax

1134
01:19:19,421 --> 01:19:23,183
increase is standing at nine point. 88% that can support

1135
01:19:23,548 --> 01:19:27,463
that, but anything above this. 9.88%. I cannot support. Thank

1136
01:19:27,508 --> 01:19:31,063
you, madam Chair. Thank you for your comments. Councilor Jazz,

1137
01:19:31,068 --> 01:19:34,395
I have Councilor kalki next. Thanks, madam Chair. Just wondering

1138
01:19:34,440 --> 01:19:38,337
if cfo can comment on. This particular item and how

1139
01:19:38,382 --> 01:19:40,977
it is in terms of financial management, the particular move

1140
01:19:41,062 --> 01:19:44,832
that's being made here. So the biggest effect of this

1141
01:19:45,157 --> 01:19:48,192
if it were approved, would be the relief in future

1142
01:19:48,317 --> 01:19:50,512
years budgets where we are forecasting pressures that are higher

1143
01:19:50,797 --> 01:19:54,072
than what is currently being contemplated for approval for 2024.

1144
01:19:57,707 --> 01:20:01,382
I do think that as recommended, it is a reasonable

1145
01:20:01,667 --> 01:20:05,262
and appropriate use of stabilization fund if there is a

1146
01:20:05,587 --> 01:20:07,902
concrete plan to unwind it while they're still funding in

1147
01:20:07,907 --> 01:20:11,902
that reserve balance. But ultimately from a revenue perspective, looking

1148
01:20:12,227 --> 01:20:15,902
at service levels and sustainable revenue sources, it really is

1149
01:20:16,227 --> 01:20:19,480
only meant to bridge. From what the tax rate currently

1150
01:20:19,565 --> 01:20:21,680
is, to what it needs to be to support the

1151
01:20:21,725 --> 01:20:24,040
service levels that there are as to how quickly we

1152
01:20:24,325 --> 01:20:26,960
go there. It really is a decision of counsel weighing

1153
01:20:27,005 --> 01:20:30,440
the factors such as what is a reasonable change at

1154
01:20:30,485 --> 01:20:34,520
the property tax base, what service levels are expected, and

1155
01:20:34,885 --> 01:20:38,040
how long we can sustain drawings in that stabilization reserve,

1156
01:20:38,125 --> 01:20:41,246
right. Now you'll see in the forecast. It is shown

1157
01:20:41,291 --> 01:20:43,886
to go from right now around the target balance around

1158
01:20:43,971 --> 01:20:47,926
$8 million to around 4.6 million after we've used this

1159
01:20:48,251 --> 01:20:51,326
for a few years of phasing it out. One of

1160
01:20:51,331 --> 01:20:54,086
the benefits of this motion would be is additional funding

1161
01:20:54,331 --> 01:20:57,486
in that stabilization reserve balance closer to the target. When

1162
01:20:57,531 --> 01:20:59,806
we come out of the next few years of pressures.

1163
01:21:00,749 --> 01:21:04,749
So ultimately. There is a number of different answers here,

1164
01:21:05,034 --> 01:21:07,869
and ultimately, Council can decide which is the most appropriate.

1165
01:21:10,244 --> 01:21:13,519
Thank you to our cfo for that answer. Councilor. Ijaz

1166
01:21:13,844 --> 01:21:16,039
is next. Thank you, madam Chair. This is a question

1167
01:21:16,084 --> 01:21:19,988
for Glenn. If this motion were to pass, what would

1168
01:21:19,993 --> 01:21:25,949
that 9.88% increase to. So the 9.88 would become ten

1169
01:21:26,034 --> 01:21:29,949
point 72. From a local tax rate change perspective, the

1170
01:21:30,314 --> 01:21:36,549
blended total would become 6.27%, which is $46 per 100,000

1171
01:21:36,954 --> 01:21:45,026
of assessment. And started scrolling down $276 from an average

1172
01:21:45,351 --> 01:21:52,558
house perspective. Thank you, madam. Chair. Thank you, councilor Jeff.

1173
01:21:52,883 --> 01:21:57,334
Any other speakers to the motion. Councilor best. Yeah. Just

1174
01:21:57,419 --> 01:22:01,014
as councilor Chowner raised some interesting points here regarding our

1175
01:22:01,419 --> 01:22:04,854
reserves. What is the return that we're getting on our

1176
01:22:04,939 --> 01:22:07,454
reserves and reserve funds? I take it they are all

1177
01:22:08,019 --> 01:22:10,734
invested. I just want to see how that compares with

1178
01:22:11,019 --> 01:22:14,891
a potential income fund. Looking at the cfo for a

1179
01:22:14,976 --> 01:22:19,843
response. So within the budget, we've assumed from the overall

1180
01:22:20,208 --> 01:22:25,563
portfolio perspective, a total return averaging 3.95% next year. That

1181
01:22:25,848 --> 01:22:28,563
would be the highest amount we realized in recent years,

1182
01:22:28,888 --> 01:22:30,363
in part because we're going to be starting the year

1183
01:22:30,648 --> 01:22:33,483
with the relatively high rates that we have today, especially

1184
01:22:33,888 --> 01:22:37,618
on the shorter term investments. Keeping in mind that. The

1185
01:22:37,703 --> 01:22:40,498
portfolio is a mix of the more liquid funding that

1186
01:22:40,503 --> 01:22:43,984
we have. In those savings accounts versus the longer term

1187
01:22:44,269 --> 01:22:47,367
investments that were already locked into. In terms of that

1188
01:22:47,692 --> 01:22:51,641
income, funds. I do think and our suggestion was to

1189
01:22:51,926 --> 01:22:54,201
explore that further in the workshop setting so we could

1190
01:22:54,606 --> 01:22:58,125
make sure. We're addressing Council's intentions with it. The thing

1191
01:22:58,410 --> 01:22:59,805
will have to be balancing in that is that the

1192
01:22:59,850 --> 01:23:02,445
seed funding for that fund is likely to come from

1193
01:23:02,490 --> 01:23:06,005
those existing reserves which are already being invested and ideally

1194
01:23:06,050 --> 01:23:08,645
to maximize the return that we can get given when

1195
01:23:08,690 --> 01:23:12,493
the timing of the draw on those reserves. Maybe. Thank

1196
01:23:12,538 --> 01:23:15,133
you for the answer. Just the last question in terms

1197
01:23:15,498 --> 01:23:19,972
of provincial regulations. What are the limitations we have on

1198
01:23:20,377 --> 01:23:25,359
investments. So the primary investment tool for municipalities are areas

1199
01:23:25,684 --> 01:23:28,999
in fixed income. In terms of especially in the bond

1200
01:23:29,364 --> 01:23:32,799
market. There has been introductions to allow for equity in

1201
01:23:32,844 --> 01:23:35,399
one of two ways, either through the One fund, which

1202
01:23:35,764 --> 01:23:38,599
is a professionally managed investment tool for municipalities. That's the

1203
01:23:38,604 --> 01:23:44,602
one that our current. Town bylaw currently allows for and

1204
01:23:44,607 --> 01:23:48,042
then separately, there's the prudent Investment standard, which we're not

1205
01:23:48,127 --> 01:23:50,882
entertaining at this stage, given the size of our portfolio

1206
01:23:51,247 --> 01:23:55,480
and the cost and the process involved. We also do

1207
01:23:55,565 --> 01:23:58,680
invest in other investment tools, such as the Savings Account

1208
01:23:59,045 --> 01:24:02,600
Reference gics. But it's very much just fixed income oriented

1209
01:24:03,005 --> 01:24:05,680
strategy. And then within our own town guidelines are the

1210
01:24:05,725 --> 01:24:09,200
limitations in terms of how much exposure to federal provincial

1211
01:24:09,525 --> 01:24:13,211
notes, how much. To the corporate and banking sector and

1212
01:24:13,616 --> 01:24:16,251
the overall balance that we're allowed to work with him.

1213
01:24:17,409 --> 01:24:20,044
Thank you very much. Thank you. Councilor. Best I have

1214
01:24:20,089 --> 01:24:24,084
councilor tessard next. Thank you very much, madam Chair. Just

1215
01:24:24,369 --> 01:24:27,524
to note, councilor Chalner is correct in that there's nothing

1216
01:24:27,569 --> 01:24:29,884
wrong with looking for additional revenue sources. And I'm fully

1217
01:24:30,209 --> 01:24:32,844
fully supportive of that. If we find a way to

1218
01:24:32,889 --> 01:24:36,842
fund an income reserve or an income fund. I would

1219
01:24:36,887 --> 01:24:40,724
be supportive if it was reasonable and made sense. However,

1220
01:24:41,169 --> 01:24:43,004
like I said, I don't want to kick this down

1221
01:24:43,329 --> 01:24:46,764
the can because an income reserve is not guaranteed. We

1222
01:24:46,809 --> 01:24:48,244
don't know where we're going to get the seed money

1223
01:24:48,689 --> 01:24:52,309
from. If the Income Reserve Fund works out great, we'll

1224
01:24:52,314 --> 01:24:55,509
have an easier year next year in addition to this

1225
01:24:55,914 --> 01:24:58,509
motion. And if it doesn't go ahead, we'll still have

1226
01:24:58,554 --> 01:25:04,463
an easier time next year because of this motion. Thank

1227
01:25:04,508 --> 01:25:09,839
you, councilor tesser Jackson. I have councilor Chaliner. Next. Thanks.

1228
01:25:11,260 --> 01:25:14,848
So again it's in the notes. The cfo talked about

1229
01:25:15,493 --> 01:25:18,648
a one fund and the return on that is significant

1230
01:25:18,973 --> 01:25:24,379
compared to the investments. We currently have. Double of many

1231
01:25:24,424 --> 01:25:28,260
of them. The seed money, yes, would come from our

1232
01:25:28,625 --> 01:25:33,857
current reserves. But for example, if it came from. A

1233
01:25:34,502 --> 01:25:40,345
GIC that was maturing at 1.5%. You're far better off

1234
01:25:40,710 --> 01:25:42,985
taking that ten or $15 million and putting it into

1235
01:25:43,310 --> 01:25:46,465
the One fund because you're going to see a pretty

1236
01:25:47,190 --> 01:25:52,949
rapid return. Within twelve months. And there are other funds

1237
01:25:53,314 --> 01:25:58,148
as well. I'm sure the cfo is looking at contemplating

1238
01:25:58,553 --> 01:26:07,413
my questions. The main issue. I have. Is.

1239
01:26:08,711 --> 01:26:10,666
Yes, we are kicking the can down the road. We've

1240
01:26:10,671 --> 01:26:12,586
been kicking it down the road for the last decade

1241
01:26:13,351 --> 01:26:15,506
again. There's a table in there that shows what we've

1242
01:26:15,551 --> 01:26:23,746
been doing. I'm not confident that. Without an income fund

1243
01:26:24,511 --> 01:26:26,826
or a revenue source that we won't kick the can

1244
01:26:27,231 --> 01:26:32,359
down next year because. What I see too much of

1245
01:26:32,644 --> 01:26:36,753
is a lack of fiscal discipline. And it's a shared

1246
01:26:37,118 --> 01:26:43,930
responsibility. It starts with senior Staff and it concludes around

1247
01:26:44,095 --> 01:26:49,477
this table. And quite frankly. The most important place that

1248
01:26:49,522 --> 01:26:51,797
has to occur is here. And I don't see that

1249
01:26:51,882 --> 01:26:58,963
happening. I don't have that confidence. And. I think that

1250
01:26:59,408 --> 01:27:02,603
simple logic and common sense is you ended as soon

1251
01:27:02,968 --> 01:27:07,341
as. You have a plan to end it with and

1252
01:27:08,026 --> 01:27:12,085
I'm hoping. That in January, we put the pins in

1253
01:27:12,130 --> 01:27:15,725
place as a Council to provide financial stability for future

1254
01:27:16,170 --> 01:27:21,426
generations by considering. Would I been proposing to Senior staff.

1255
01:27:22,712 --> 01:27:25,947
Because I'm as frustrated by this as anybody else around

1256
01:27:26,272 --> 01:27:29,853
this table is maybe even more. I go back. I

1257
01:27:29,898 --> 01:27:32,613
reflect on the time my 1st 15 years here. We

1258
01:27:32,658 --> 01:27:37,884
never did this kind of stuff. We didn't blend our

1259
01:27:38,249 --> 01:27:40,924
tax rate with the region. We stood up and we

1260
01:27:40,969 --> 01:27:46,636
managed budgets as they were. We didn't look. For any

1261
01:27:47,001 --> 01:27:51,581
kind of subsidy within or without. And we need to

1262
01:27:51,586 --> 01:27:55,117
get back. To as much of that as we possibly

1263
01:27:55,162 --> 01:27:58,686
can. Because we don't know what's ahead of us. Councilor

1264
01:27:58,931 --> 01:28:04,238
tesser Durkson is exactly right. We don't know what's going

1265
01:28:04,243 --> 01:28:07,509
to happen in the next couple of years. I don't

1266
01:28:07,514 --> 01:28:11,308
have confidence, quite frankly. That any of our future projections

1267
01:28:11,393 --> 01:28:14,618
are accurate. And I don't know how they can be

1268
01:28:14,983 --> 01:28:17,658
unless you've got some sort of special Crystal ball. And

1269
01:28:17,703 --> 01:28:19,938
so I'm not criticizing the cfo. He's doing the best

1270
01:28:20,223 --> 01:28:24,618
job he possibly can under. Very difficult circumstances. But what

1271
01:28:24,663 --> 01:28:29,578
that demands is. A plan that brings in revenue on

1272
01:28:29,903 --> 01:28:34,218
a consistent basis where you aren't robbing Peter to pay

1273
01:28:34,303 --> 01:28:36,578
Paul, which is exactly what we're doing with the stabilization

1274
01:28:37,023 --> 01:28:41,706
reserve. So my message suck it up for one more

1275
01:28:42,111 --> 01:28:44,746
year. Let's figure it out in January, and let's get

1276
01:28:45,111 --> 01:28:50,247
going. But I'm not in favor of this motion. Thank

1277
01:28:50,292 --> 01:28:52,927
you, councilor Chalner. I'm looking around to see if any

1278
01:28:53,212 --> 01:28:56,007
of my other colleagues have any comments. Questions to add.

1279
01:28:58,092 --> 01:29:01,287
I'm seeing none. So no recorded vote has been called

1280
01:29:01,652 --> 01:29:03,607
for, so I'm going to call the vote. Now, all

1281
01:29:03,932 --> 01:29:06,327
those in favor of this motion, please raise your hand.

1282
01:29:07,494 --> 01:29:16,373
All those opposed. Motion fails. We are now moving on

1283
01:29:16,458 --> 01:29:19,093
to the next motion, which will be the last motion

1284
01:29:19,458 --> 01:29:29,258
to clause for a. And it is moved by councilor

1285
01:29:29,583 --> 01:29:34,338
chaloner and seconded by councilor malbos. Whereas the proposed town

1286
01:29:34,383 --> 01:29:39,098
of milton 2024 property tax increase when blended with the

1287
01:29:39,143 --> 01:29:44,218
regional municipality of halton and School board's 2024 operating budgets

1288
01:29:44,903 --> 01:29:49,722
will net out at Five point. 37% if the region

1289
01:29:50,007 --> 01:29:53,202
and the school board's budgets are approved, as Is and

1290
01:29:53,567 --> 01:29:58,002
whereas the proposed 2024 Town of milton property tax increase

1291
01:29:58,327 --> 01:30:02,082
when blended with the regional municipality of halton School Boards

1292
01:30:02,407 --> 01:30:07,162
and proposed halton Regional Police Services, operating budgets could net

1293
01:30:07,287 --> 01:30:12,147
out. At about 5.78% if they are approved as proposed.

1294
01:30:13,103 --> 01:30:18,018
And whereas milton is in economic recession, interest rates are

1295
01:30:18,103 --> 01:30:22,498
high, food inflation is continuing unabated, and an increasing number

1296
01:30:22,503 --> 01:30:26,098
of miltonians are defaulting on their mortgages and not paying

1297
01:30:26,463 --> 01:30:31,691
their property taxes. Therefore. Be it result that in order

1298
01:30:32,096 --> 01:30:36,451
to provide financial relief to hard hit milton families, the

1299
01:30:36,776 --> 01:30:42,251
Town of milton 2024 operating budget achieve a 5% blended

1300
01:30:42,576 --> 01:30:47,451
property tax rate objective. And further Be, it resolved that

1301
01:30:48,096 --> 01:30:51,489
the 36 million purchased goods and services. Line items in

1302
01:30:51,734 --> 01:30:55,489
the 2024 Town of milton operating budget be reduced in

1303
01:30:55,494 --> 01:31:00,369
order to achieve a 5% blended tax rate total requiring

1304
01:31:00,654 --> 01:31:10,284
an estimated reduction of 825,000. To 1,770,000. Dollars depending on

1305
01:31:10,569 --> 01:31:13,844
the final budgets established for halton Region and the halton

1306
01:31:14,169 --> 01:31:17,665
Regional Police service. I have read the motion and you

1307
01:31:17,710 --> 01:31:19,865
can see it on the screen as well. I will

1308
01:31:19,910 --> 01:31:21,745
now go to the mover of the motion to speak

1309
01:31:22,110 --> 01:31:27,939
to the motion. Councilor chaloner. Thanks, madam chair. And Council

1310
01:31:28,264 --> 01:31:33,236
recall from last year, when I brought this forward. Staff

1311
01:31:33,321 --> 01:31:35,636
didn't love this. I can tell you they still don't.

1312
01:31:37,453 --> 01:31:40,328
Reluctant was the word. I got back and I understand

1313
01:31:40,773 --> 01:31:46,631
that. But. When I saw. Where we were netting out

1314
01:31:46,636 --> 01:31:50,023
and when I see where we're netting out tonight. We

1315
01:31:50,308 --> 01:31:54,238
don't have the revenue. And when you don't have the

1316
01:31:54,523 --> 01:31:56,518
revenue, you've got to do with your expenses as well.

1317
01:31:57,243 --> 01:31:59,958
And all of our leading indicators are falling at this

1318
01:32:00,003 --> 01:32:05,983
point. And what are we doing. To try to bring

1319
01:32:06,068 --> 01:32:10,330
ourselves into balance. And while I support a lot of

1320
01:32:10,335 --> 01:32:13,515
the things that are in the new budget. The new

1321
01:32:13,880 --> 01:32:16,235
proposed budget. I think we have to take a look

1322
01:32:16,640 --> 01:32:22,388
at those auxiliary things that we're spending on. And much

1323
01:32:22,433 --> 01:32:25,028
of it is in that $36 million purchase, goods and

1324
01:32:25,073 --> 01:32:30,262
services, budget. And take a hard look at it. And

1325
01:32:30,347 --> 01:32:35,075
provide some discipline that way. And. This is. The least

1326
01:32:35,480 --> 01:32:38,775
challenging way to deal with that. Where does that nation

1327
01:32:38,820 --> 01:32:43,705
come from? Well. I spent 40 years in business. Not

1328
01:32:43,750 --> 01:32:45,505
all of them were rosy years. I always spent most

1329
01:32:45,550 --> 01:32:49,025
of my career in technology in the we had some

1330
01:32:49,070 --> 01:32:53,703
pretty tough times, 80s as well. And whenever revenue was

1331
01:32:53,708 --> 01:32:56,663
not going to make the expense line, the expense line

1332
01:32:56,748 --> 01:32:58,463
had to get cut. You had to balance the budget,

1333
01:32:58,748 --> 01:33:01,383
you had to make money. And typically, that's where you

1334
01:33:01,428 --> 01:33:08,467
started first. You avoided going to headcount. Sometimes we had

1335
01:33:08,872 --> 01:33:15,412
to. And I'm not proposing that this evening. At all.

1336
01:33:17,148 --> 01:33:20,920
But. I'm supportive of, for example, of the six positions

1337
01:33:20,965 --> 01:33:23,600
to deal with 911, the benefits of that are going

1338
01:33:23,605 --> 01:33:27,141
to be groundbreaking. So that is it in a nutshell.

1339
01:33:30,499 --> 01:33:33,316
We're in a tough place with our economy. I think

1340
01:33:33,641 --> 01:33:35,996
that we need to swing a little bit harder at

1341
01:33:36,281 --> 01:33:38,356
our operating budget when we look at places to reduce.

1342
01:33:39,041 --> 01:33:43,358
I don't think that we've necessarily looked hard enough. We've

1343
01:33:43,403 --> 01:33:47,758
reduced proposed spending, but we haven't reduced actual spending. And

1344
01:33:48,083 --> 01:33:51,414
that's why I brought it forward. What is my sense

1345
01:33:51,499 --> 01:33:56,724
of optimism about this passing tonight? Low. But I want

1346
01:33:57,009 --> 01:34:00,627
you to know that I was thinking about it. That

1347
01:34:01,112 --> 01:34:06,382
there are ways around this, but. It takes. A little

1348
01:34:06,747 --> 01:34:13,556
creativity. And leadership, quite frankly. And I know there's a

1349
01:34:13,561 --> 01:34:14,996
lot of people in milton right now who are hurting.

1350
01:34:15,321 --> 01:34:20,494
I hear from them. And they're looking to us to

1351
01:34:20,499 --> 01:34:22,854
help them in a very difficult year, which may prove

1352
01:34:23,139 --> 01:34:27,414
to be a couple of difficult years. Thanks. Thanks, councilor

1353
01:34:27,739 --> 01:34:31,774
Chalner, councilor melbo as a secondary. Thank you, madam Chair.

1354
01:34:32,499 --> 01:34:34,894
I agreed to second the motion to get this on

1355
01:34:35,179 --> 01:34:37,094
the floor and wanted to see exactly where we were

1356
01:34:37,499 --> 01:34:39,974
going. But based on the numbers that are in the

1357
01:34:40,019 --> 01:34:42,254
motion and everything else, we're way over that and we're

1358
01:34:42,219 --> 01:34:45,254
not going to hit those numbers. So I don't know

1359
01:34:45,259 --> 01:34:47,890
if the motion is redundant or what. There are a

1360
01:34:47,856 --> 01:34:53,041
lot of areas that. We could be using. To reduce

1361
01:34:53,326 --> 01:34:58,454
the tax burden for our residents. Outside consultants. I believe

1362
01:34:58,539 --> 01:35:01,214
we spend too much money on outside consultants. There's a

1363
01:35:01,219 --> 01:35:05,699
way there. Our facilities, our sports facilities, the art center.

1364
01:35:06,064 --> 01:35:09,259
Can't we make those more efficient and cost effective to

1365
01:35:09,504 --> 01:35:15,097
reduce the cost on taxpayers. Private sector sports centers break

1366
01:35:15,182 --> 01:35:18,257
even or make money for some reason. Our facilities we

1367
01:35:18,262 --> 01:35:21,297
lose $4 million a year. We have a transit system

1368
01:35:21,662 --> 01:35:25,297
that costs $7.7 million a year. That's used by less

1369
01:35:25,342 --> 01:35:29,583
than 2% of our population. That comes out to about

1370
01:35:29,908 --> 01:35:33,463
$3,500 a person arriving. We can buy them each a

1371
01:35:33,508 --> 01:35:36,780
car for less than that. So there are a lot

1372
01:35:36,785 --> 01:35:41,238
of areas, but Unfortunately. I can't see that happening. The

1373
01:35:41,283 --> 01:35:46,223
political will is not there. So. We're already at. Almost.

1374
01:35:47,546 --> 01:35:51,163
10%. That's as high as I can go. So I'll

1375
01:35:51,208 --> 01:35:52,963
support the budget of the way it stands now, but

1376
01:35:53,008 --> 01:36:00,655
hopefully this will be the end of it. Thank you,

1377
01:36:00,940 --> 01:36:03,375
Councilor malpa. Councilor Jazz is next. Thank you, madam Chair,

1378
01:36:03,740 --> 01:36:07,255
this is a question for Glenn. Glenn, can you tell

1379
01:36:07,300 --> 01:36:10,335
us if I saw the blended rate? But what would

1380
01:36:10,340 --> 01:36:14,174
be the local rate if this was to happen. So

1381
01:36:14,539 --> 01:36:16,534
maybe just quickly before speaking to the rates. One quick

1382
01:36:16,819 --> 01:36:18,734
update. So when we provided the range that's in the

1383
01:36:18,979 --> 01:36:24,418
motion itself up to 1.77. That was based on what

1384
01:36:24,503 --> 01:36:27,138
potential changes could happen at the region. One thing I

1385
01:36:27,423 --> 01:36:30,138
hadn't factored in when helping provide that number was what

1386
01:36:30,223 --> 01:36:34,273
other decisions may have occurred here tonight. So. With the

1387
01:36:34,598 --> 01:36:36,873
two amendments that have been made to date, it would

1388
01:36:36,918 --> 01:36:41,420
be a $2.1 million reduction. In the purchase services and

1389
01:36:41,665 --> 01:36:45,380
goods to achieve the 5% blended. Assuming again that the

1390
01:36:45,785 --> 01:36:49,340
region finalizes at the current number, the ultimate impact of

1391
01:36:49,585 --> 01:36:52,220
this motion won't be able to be fully calculated until

1392
01:36:52,345 --> 01:36:54,940
after the region has gone through their entire process. But

1393
01:36:54,985 --> 01:36:58,016
right now it would be 2.1 million. So on that

1394
01:36:58,101 --> 01:36:59,936
basis, what it would mean at a local level would

1395
01:37:00,261 --> 01:37:04,696
be a 7.55% change in our local budget with that

1396
01:37:04,741 --> 01:37:07,816
$2 million removed, and then the blended would come to

1397
01:37:07,821 --> 01:37:12,371
that 5% number that is the intended target. Thank you,

1398
01:37:12,656 --> 01:37:15,291
madam Chair. And thank you, Glenn. Thank you, councilor. Jazz.

1399
01:37:15,336 --> 01:37:20,384
Next is councilor best. Yes. Thank you, madam Chair. Just

1400
01:37:20,469 --> 01:37:24,871
a question regarding this. I understand. Where councilor Melbourne are

1401
01:37:24,916 --> 01:37:28,151
coming from, but two staff, either the cio or Treasurer,

1402
01:37:28,796 --> 01:37:32,951
the 36 million looking. 2.1. What impact would this have

1403
01:37:33,636 --> 01:37:37,108
and what risks you see in this. I'll feel that

1404
01:37:37,153 --> 01:37:41,420
one first. I see this significant in order to arrive

1405
01:37:41,465 --> 01:37:43,700
at the 36 million, there's already been a number of

1406
01:37:44,065 --> 01:37:46,620
reductions not just in purchase goods and services, but across

1407
01:37:46,705 --> 01:37:48,900
the board in the budget process, some of the specific

1408
01:37:49,265 --> 01:37:51,620
areas that help get us to that million dollar reduction

1409
01:37:52,265 --> 01:37:54,660
we're in areas like the utilities that we're purchasing at

1410
01:37:54,945 --> 01:37:57,700
the facilities at some of the It contracts. So some

1411
01:37:57,705 --> 01:38:00,130
of the very items that are in here. So 2.1

1412
01:38:00,375 --> 01:38:03,130
million out of that 36 when you look at which

1413
01:38:03,495 --> 01:38:06,610
services we're spending that external funding on it's in road

1414
01:38:07,015 --> 01:38:09,850
operations, it's in transit, it's in our facilities. And it's

1415
01:38:10,095 --> 01:38:13,130
in our it is our biggest areas of spend. And

1416
01:38:13,215 --> 01:38:15,970
so to achieve 2.1 it would result in service level

1417
01:38:16,335 --> 01:38:19,728
impacts. I'm confident in saying that even though we haven't

1418
01:38:19,733 --> 01:38:23,248
gone through the exercise yet to identify specifically where we

1419
01:38:23,253 --> 01:38:26,248
would go about that because of service level changes being

1420
01:38:26,293 --> 01:38:29,603
involved. Ultimately, we would bring that back to Council. As

1421
01:38:29,928 --> 01:38:33,475
that's really where service level decisions are best made. Anything

1422
01:38:33,840 --> 01:38:36,675
further, Councilor best. Well, maybe the cio could comment on

1423
01:38:36,920 --> 01:38:39,235
this. Yeah, I would just add. The most important piece

1424
01:38:39,560 --> 01:38:42,355
was the ending to glenn's statement is that we'd be

1425
01:38:42,360 --> 01:38:48,015
looking for counsel to identify those service level cuts. Just

1426
01:38:48,340 --> 01:38:51,095
to inform counsel that to my knowledge that there is

1427
01:38:51,140 --> 01:38:53,775
no more proposed changes at the Regional Council, I don't

1428
01:38:53,780 --> 01:38:58,700
believe anyone's adding or subtracting. So what you see. Being

1429
01:38:59,105 --> 01:39:02,340
proposed. The Regional Council is what's going to come through.

1430
01:39:03,486 --> 01:39:06,201
Fortunately the police are looking at hiring it was a

1431
01:39:06,246 --> 01:39:09,801
48 new officers. So that's where the major increase is

1432
01:39:09,846 --> 01:39:12,121
going to be. Plus, we also have inflation. I believe.

1433
01:39:13,284 --> 01:39:16,199
Correct hearing from Staff 80% of our budget is due

1434
01:39:16,524 --> 01:39:21,308
to inflation and. Having approved two other budgets recently, a

1435
01:39:21,313 --> 01:39:24,308
lot of these costs aren't going down. We're going to

1436
01:39:24,633 --> 01:39:29,148
be increasing, not decreasing. So looking at some I appreciate

1437
01:39:29,513 --> 01:39:31,948
where councilor Chowner is coming from, but it's going to

1438
01:39:32,233 --> 01:39:34,628
be very difficult on this unless we're looking at some

1439
01:39:34,913 --> 01:39:39,257
major service cuts. Thank you, councilor. Best. Are there any

1440
01:39:39,302 --> 01:39:42,897
other comments or questions on this motion? I am seeing

1441
01:39:43,182 --> 01:39:45,777
none. So I will call the vote now all those

1442
01:39:45,862 --> 01:39:50,769
in favor of this motion. O, councilor chaliner. All those

1443
01:39:51,094 --> 01:39:53,759
in favor of this motion. Please raise your hand. All

1444
01:39:53,804 --> 01:40:03,198
those opposed. Motion fails. With this. Ladies and gentlemen, we

1445
01:40:03,243 --> 01:40:05,918
come to the end of the motions or amendments to

1446
01:40:06,563 --> 01:40:10,718
clause four, A, and I can confirm that all motions

1447
01:40:11,043 --> 01:40:14,518
on the 2024 operating budget of Town and Library, which

1448
01:40:14,843 --> 01:40:23,099
was clause foray are. Now complete. At this point, I'm

1449
01:40:23,104 --> 01:40:26,059
going to go to our cfo to see if he

1450
01:40:26,064 --> 01:40:27,979
can give us a final number where we are in

1451
01:40:27,984 --> 01:40:32,225
the budget, so that all of my Council colleagues. Are

1452
01:40:32,310 --> 01:40:37,586
on the same page on the Budget numbers. Yes. So

1453
01:40:37,671 --> 01:40:42,693
our local change is a 9.88% change. The blended total

1454
01:40:43,098 --> 01:40:49,503
change is 5.93%. The total dollars per 100,000. And this

1455
01:40:49,788 --> 01:40:53,983
is including the estimated regional amount would be $43.60 per

1456
01:40:54,348 --> 01:40:58,703
100,000. So for the average house of 600,000, it would

1457
01:40:58,748 --> 01:41:05,369
be $261.62. Thank you for that update. Are there any

1458
01:41:05,414 --> 01:41:08,569
other staff members who want to speak to any of

1459
01:41:09,334 --> 01:41:15,155
these items before we proceed. I'm seeing none. I know

1460
01:41:15,440 --> 01:41:18,235
that my colleagues are eager to share their statements on

1461
01:41:18,240 --> 01:41:20,955
the budget that will come very in the near future.

1462
01:41:22,532 --> 01:41:24,407
But we have to go through many more clauses before

1463
01:41:24,492 --> 01:41:26,207
we get to the point. I just wanted to clarify

1464
01:41:26,292 --> 01:41:29,334
that I know how eager my colleagues are. With this,

1465
01:41:29,619 --> 01:41:37,165
we will now move on to clause four, B. And

1466
01:41:37,450 --> 01:41:40,525
this is where councilor best declared a conflict, and you

1467
01:41:40,570 --> 01:41:44,050
can see him sliding way back over there. Clause four

1468
01:41:44,455 --> 01:41:48,970
B States that the 2024 operating budget for Seniors, program

1469
01:41:49,375 --> 01:41:54,650
salaries and benefits in the amount of $39,512 we receive

1470
01:41:55,055 --> 01:42:01,009
a review and any amendments made by Council. Are there

1471
01:42:01,094 --> 01:42:04,249
any motions to be considered in nation to this clause.

1472
01:42:05,933 --> 01:42:09,704
Seeing none. So I'm going to call the vote on

1473
01:42:10,029 --> 01:42:12,184
this. No, there's no vote. Yeah. We are going to

1474
01:42:12,189 --> 01:42:15,264
move on to clause five. Councilor Best is welcome to

1475
01:42:15,349 --> 01:42:19,487
slide right over. Clause Five States that if the actual

1476
01:42:19,892 --> 01:42:26,127
net taxable assessment growth is different than 2.29%, any increase

1477
01:42:26,132 --> 01:42:29,167
in the tax dollars generated from the town's portion of

1478
01:42:29,492 --> 01:42:34,047
assessment growth for 2024 Taxation be transferred to the Tax

1479
01:42:34,772 --> 01:42:40,746
Rate stabilization Reserve, or any. Decrease in tax dollars. Generated

1480
01:42:40,831 --> 01:42:45,066
from the town portion of Assessment Growth for 2024. Taxation

1481
01:42:45,151 --> 01:42:49,661
be funded from the Tax Rate stabilization reserve. And I'm

1482
01:42:49,706 --> 01:42:53,626
pretty sure. I have now read that. Are there any

1483
01:42:53,671 --> 01:42:56,786
motions to be considered in relation to this clause, which

1484
01:42:57,111 --> 01:42:59,346
is clause five? I'm seeing none. I will now move

1485
01:42:59,391 --> 01:43:04,816
on to clause six. Clause Six States that the nonunion

1486
01:43:05,141 --> 01:43:08,416
salary range adjustment for 2024 be approved at a rate

1487
01:43:08,781 --> 01:43:12,616
of 2.1%. Are there any motions to be considered in

1488
01:43:12,621 --> 01:43:15,456
relation to this clause? I'm seeing none. So I'm going

1489
01:43:15,701 --> 01:43:18,536
to move on to clause seven. Clause Seven States that

1490
01:43:19,181 --> 01:43:24,650
the 2025 2026 operating. Forecast for the town, including the

1491
01:43:24,935 --> 01:43:28,570
Library, with a combined net increase in the tax levy

1492
01:43:28,855 --> 01:43:32,530
of 27.1 million as outlined in appendix Five of this

1493
01:43:32,575 --> 01:43:36,917
Report or as potentially revised to be received. And on

1494
01:43:37,242 --> 01:43:39,157
this I do have an amendment to the clause, which

1495
01:43:39,482 --> 01:43:43,157
is a motion moved by Councillor challoner and seconded by

1496
01:43:43,482 --> 01:43:46,277
councilor Marshall. And I'm going to read that motion now.

1497
01:43:48,015 --> 01:43:50,730
That staff be directed to prepare a report for Council

1498
01:43:50,775 --> 01:43:54,770
that outlines alternatives for a multiyear financial strategy for the

1499
01:43:55,135 --> 01:43:57,490
town that can be used as a basis to guide

1500
01:43:57,815 --> 01:44:01,290
future budget processes. And that a Council workshop to discuss

1501
01:44:01,655 --> 01:44:04,050
the alternatives be held in advance of the presentation of

1502
01:44:04,295 --> 01:44:07,770
the report to Council and that the staff report be

1503
01:44:07,815 --> 01:44:10,838
presented to. Council for consideration no later than June 2024,

1504
01:44:10,804 --> 01:44:15,678
and finally, that an annual financial workshop occurred in June

1505
01:44:15,723 --> 01:44:19,842
or July to discuss pertinent financial information. As well as

1506
01:44:20,167 --> 01:44:23,650
facilitate pre budget discussions. I have read the motion. I

1507
01:44:23,695 --> 01:44:25,610
will go now to the mover of the motion. Councilor

1508
01:44:26,295 --> 01:44:31,990
Chaloner. Thanks, madam Chair. I think it's pretty straightforward. I

1509
01:44:32,035 --> 01:44:36,190
just want to thank the cfo, the cao, councilor Marshall

1510
01:44:36,395 --> 01:44:38,910
and councilor tesser dirkson for their leadership in this discussion.

1511
01:44:40,312 --> 01:44:43,827
Thank you, Councilor chandler, Secondary Councilor Marshall. I would agree.

1512
01:44:43,912 --> 01:44:48,752
It's pretty straightforward. Thank you, councilor Marshall, are there any

1513
01:44:48,797 --> 01:44:53,271
comments or questions on this motion. I'm seeing none. So

1514
01:44:53,316 --> 01:44:56,818
I'll call the vote. All those in favor. Motion Passes

1515
01:44:56,863 --> 01:45:01,313
unanimously. Are there any further motions to be considered in

1516
01:45:01,358 --> 01:45:05,393
relation to Clause Seven related to the 2025 2026 Operating

1517
01:45:05,798 --> 01:45:12,807
forecast. I'm seeing no other motions, so I'm going to

1518
01:45:12,852 --> 01:45:17,167
move on to Clause Eight, clause Eight States that the

1519
01:45:17,212 --> 01:45:20,327
transfers to and from reserves and reserve fronts within the

1520
01:45:20,612 --> 01:45:23,887
2024 Budget, as outlined in appendix Six or as potentially

1521
01:45:24,212 --> 01:45:27,007
revised be received. Are there any motions to be considered

1522
01:45:27,292 --> 01:45:30,412
in relation to this clause. I see none moving on

1523
01:45:30,457 --> 01:45:35,768
to clause nine. Clause Nine States that the milton bia

1524
01:45:35,853 --> 01:45:42,688
budget in the gross amount of $487,675, resulting in a

1525
01:45:42,693 --> 01:45:49,821
net tax levy of 270,990. Dollars as outlined in appendix

1526
01:45:50,146 --> 01:45:53,741
Seven we received for review and any amendments made by

1527
01:45:54,146 --> 01:45:57,181
Council. Are there any motions to be considered in relation

1528
01:45:57,266 --> 01:46:02,560
to this clause. I am seeing none. Okay. So this

1529
01:46:02,605 --> 01:46:07,653
was clause nine. And at this point. I would like

1530
01:46:07,698 --> 01:46:10,992
to say that all motions are complete. And now we

1531
01:46:10,997 --> 01:46:15,754
will move to vote on the motions as revised. And

1532
01:46:16,159 --> 01:46:18,554
in advance of US calling the final vote on the

1533
01:46:18,839 --> 01:46:24,819
motions as amended. I will now ask the cfo for

1534
01:46:25,504 --> 01:46:28,299
an updated slide on where the numbers for the operating

1535
01:46:28,384 --> 01:46:31,859
and capital budget sit. And of course, pursuant to that

1536
01:46:32,184 --> 01:46:34,899
will be the opportunity for my colleagues to share their

1537
01:46:35,224 --> 01:46:40,135
comments and statements. Glenn. So coming up on the screen

1538
01:46:40,220 --> 01:46:42,895
now is a reflection of the figures that we verbally

1539
01:46:43,260 --> 01:46:45,935
spoke about just a few moments ago and we can

1540
01:46:46,220 --> 01:46:48,895
leave the slide up during the comments just so it's

1541
01:46:48,900 --> 01:46:52,055
an easier reference for Council. But as mentioned, it's a

1542
01:46:52,060 --> 01:46:58,135
9.88% change at the local level and a 5.93% projected.

1543
01:46:59,084 --> 01:47:01,799
Impact at the total level with the other levels of

1544
01:47:01,844 --> 01:47:09,639
government as well, which translates to assessment or. 261 on

1545
01:47:09,644 --> 01:47:14,130
the average household. Thank you, Glenn. I am sure my

1546
01:47:14,415 --> 01:47:16,610
colleagues had a chance to look at the screen, all

1547
01:47:16,615 --> 01:47:19,410
the numbers up there in the graphic. And I will

1548
01:47:19,455 --> 01:47:21,970
now go to my colleagues to see if they have

1549
01:47:22,015 --> 01:47:25,210
any comments or statements. I have Mayor cranz to my

1550
01:47:25,575 --> 01:47:32,714
right, Mr. Mayor, you're absolutely right. The agenda that was

1551
01:47:32,999 --> 01:47:40,456
sent out with the recommendations. I don't see. And of

1552
01:47:40,461 --> 01:47:46,176
course I know it's changed tonight from 9.5 to 9.88,

1553
01:47:46,781 --> 01:47:48,856
and the rest that's in there. How will that be

1554
01:47:49,581 --> 01:47:54,009
incorporated. In the staff recommendation there. And those nine points

1555
01:47:54,334 --> 01:47:57,529
that you've been alluding to I know in the Executive

1556
01:47:57,814 --> 01:47:59,649
Summary, it covers it off, but I want to be

1557
01:47:59,694 --> 01:48:04,902
very clear. Because. It's bottom line that I'm concerned about.

1558
01:48:05,267 --> 01:48:07,182
And again, I think I've made it very clear to

1559
01:48:07,227 --> 01:48:10,336
anybody that wants to listen. But I was never in

1560
01:48:10,341 --> 01:48:13,536
support of 9.5 and certainly never in support now of

1561
01:48:13,861 --> 01:48:16,616
9.88 or I'm going to round it off at 10%.

1562
01:48:17,516 --> 01:48:21,681
Going around at office. Because there are certain things in

1563
01:48:22,006 --> 01:48:26,193
those nine things that I support. But I don't support

1564
01:48:26,878 --> 01:48:30,576
9.88. So I'm not suggesting breaking every one of the

1565
01:48:30,621 --> 01:48:33,776
mode again separately and deal with. But bottom line, I

1566
01:48:33,821 --> 01:48:38,069
don't support nine, eight, eight. As an example. We were

1567
01:48:38,554 --> 01:48:42,229
circulated and Glenn alludes to this earlier on this evening.

1568
01:48:42,874 --> 01:48:45,229
Some of the comments from individuals. And these aren't my

1569
01:48:45,274 --> 01:48:51,136
words. They're talking about tax increases as unacceptable. More than

1570
01:48:51,501 --> 01:48:58,474
once. An outrageous. I could probably add other. Actual as

1571
01:48:58,519 --> 01:49:00,754
to what we may be doing here tonight, but I'm

1572
01:49:00,719 --> 01:49:03,596
not going to do that. Again. As you know, madam

1573
01:49:03,961 --> 01:49:08,625
Chair, I signed off. Of the strong mayors issue, and

1574
01:49:08,630 --> 01:49:10,385
the clerk will get to that in just a few

1575
01:49:10,790 --> 01:49:13,505
moments on waiving some of the rights that I could

1576
01:49:13,510 --> 01:49:16,065
have had, but I did reserve the right to change

1577
01:49:16,110 --> 01:49:19,289
my mind at any time. And the clerk knows that

1578
01:49:19,334 --> 01:49:22,009
as well. But it's not my intention to do that.

1579
01:49:22,654 --> 01:49:25,009
I'm a firm believer in majority rules, and that the

1580
01:49:25,334 --> 01:49:27,569
majority of this Council wants to put it up 10%.

1581
01:49:28,054 --> 01:49:31,940
So be it. I won't be supporting that. But other

1582
01:49:32,265 --> 01:49:35,020
than that, I have no thoughts on it. I just

1583
01:49:35,345 --> 01:49:39,126
don't want to be part of. A spend thrift Council.

1584
01:49:39,451 --> 01:49:42,352
I'll make that very clear. Co. Is well aware of

1585
01:49:42,357 --> 01:49:48,634
that of my sentiment. And growing bureaucracy by leaps and

1586
01:49:48,639 --> 01:49:52,554
bounds. In this particular case, 22 additional new people on

1587
01:49:52,599 --> 01:49:56,314
top of what, 600, 700 people that's already here. I

1588
01:49:56,399 --> 01:49:58,314
was never part of that. Never wanted to be part

1589
01:49:58,359 --> 01:50:02,194
of it. Never will be part of growing government. So

1590
01:50:02,239 --> 01:50:04,554
other than that, I have no thoughts. So thank you.

1591
01:50:05,961 --> 01:50:08,596
Thank you, Mr. Merritt. Thank you for sharing your sentiments

1592
01:50:08,681 --> 01:50:11,796
with us. I have councilor Jazz next. Thank you, madam.

1593
01:50:12,041 --> 01:50:15,556
Chair. This might be unorthodox, but I put something together.

1594
01:50:16,001 --> 01:50:17,476
I think this is the right time to state it.

1595
01:50:17,761 --> 01:50:20,436
And the town of milton Worth. Growth unfolds a tale

1596
01:50:20,481 --> 01:50:25,316
of inflation its narrative holds infrastructures embrace services, dance yet.

1597
01:50:26,047 --> 01:50:29,870
The cost of progress, a circumstance. Inflation whispers through the

1598
01:50:30,155 --> 01:50:34,270
bustling streets a reality that municipal balance greets. Taxes rise

1599
01:50:34,515 --> 01:50:38,630
unnecessary tune to fortify foundation under the crescent Moon bridges

1600
01:50:39,035 --> 01:50:42,190
of progress, roads paved in dreams yet the fiscal river

1601
01:50:42,475 --> 01:50:45,670
turbulent. It seems to maintain the heartbeat of the town's

1602
01:50:45,715 --> 01:50:49,831
core taxes ascend a fiscal metaphor for. Schools that blumen

1603
01:50:50,036 --> 01:50:53,726
parts that thrive. Inflation's challenge. They must survive. Town's embrace

1604
01:50:53,811 --> 01:50:57,406
expanding sphere taxes climb a pathway clear and the Echo

1605
01:50:57,691 --> 01:51:01,326
of growth a fiscal verse in milton's heartbeat the people's

1606
01:51:01,651 --> 01:51:06,606
purse inflation's dance a complex song Taxes rise a town

1607
01:51:06,971 --> 01:51:14,270
grows strong. Thank you, councilor jazz. Before I call the

1608
01:51:14,635 --> 01:51:18,270
vote on the clauses, we just deliberated. I would wish

1609
01:51:18,635 --> 01:51:21,670
to look around again and see if any of my

1610
01:51:21,715 --> 01:51:25,790
colleagues have any comments or statements to add. Councilor kolki.

1611
01:51:26,035 --> 01:51:27,950
Thanks, madam Chair. I'll just keep it brief. I'm happy

1612
01:51:28,275 --> 01:51:31,568
of the investments that we're making here. And appreciate all

1613
01:51:31,893 --> 01:51:34,608
those that supported those three motions earlier as well. It's

1614
01:51:34,893 --> 01:51:37,288
an investment in road safety, it's an investment in traffic

1615
01:51:37,533 --> 01:51:41,088
staffing. It's an investment in fire services, amongst the other

1616
01:51:41,533 --> 01:51:43,248
items that are in the budget as it is, I'm

1617
01:51:43,293 --> 01:51:45,608
supportive of the budget and I look forward to again

1618
01:51:45,893 --> 01:51:48,248
in future budgets, just continuing to be the best advocate

1619
01:51:48,533 --> 01:51:50,888
I can be for the community and making investments that

1620
01:51:50,893 --> 01:51:52,361
we need. To get to where we need to be

1621
01:51:52,646 --> 01:51:58,768
by 2051 thank you. Thank you, councilor kalki. Certainly those

1622
01:51:59,133 --> 01:52:05,444
investments have been included in the budget. Mayor krantz. It's

1623
01:52:05,449 --> 01:52:08,244
on the overall budget. Madam Chair, I'm calling for a

1624
01:52:08,569 --> 01:52:12,251
recorded vote on that as well. Thank you. Clerk has

1625
01:52:12,296 --> 01:52:16,748
noted that thank You, Mr. Mayor. I'm seeing none of

1626
01:52:16,793 --> 01:52:19,908
my colleagues have any other comments or statements to add.

1627
01:52:20,273 --> 01:52:22,108
So a recorded vote has been called and I will

1628
01:52:22,113 --> 01:52:25,863
leave it to the clerk to deal with that. So

1629
01:52:26,148 --> 01:52:29,383
with respect to clauses one through nine, excluding item Four,

1630
01:52:29,668 --> 01:52:33,463
B. I see councilor Best has a comment to that.

1631
01:52:33,908 --> 01:52:36,263
I just wanted to make sure you've excluded my conflict.

1632
01:52:36,628 --> 01:52:40,868
Thank you. Yes. Thank you, counselor. Thanks for pointing that

1633
01:52:40,913 --> 01:52:44,388
out. So again, clauses one through nine, excluding four B

1634
01:52:44,473 --> 01:52:48,115
due to the conflict. I would ask all members who

1635
01:52:48,400 --> 01:52:51,933
are in favor of the motion to please stand. In

1636
01:52:52,258 --> 01:53:02,128
favor. I see councilor culky councilor best. Councilor Marshall

1637
01:53:02,493 --> 01:53:08,128
councilor Malbaf councilor tesser dirkson, councilor at Jazz councilor eli.

1638
01:53:08,213 --> 01:53:11,368
Thank you. You. Please be seated. Members opposed. Please stand.

1639
01:53:12,675 --> 01:53:16,750
Opposed. I'm seeing Mayor krantz and councilor Chalanor that motion

1640
01:53:16,795 --> 01:53:26,613
carries. Thank you, madam clerk. We will now call

1641
01:53:26,938 --> 01:53:31,694
the vote on clause B separately. Clause Four B separately.

1642
01:53:38,441 --> 01:53:41,596
It is moved by councilor malbon. Second, by councilor kalki

1643
01:53:41,921 --> 01:53:45,236
that the 2024 operating budget for Seniors, program salaries and

1644
01:53:45,521 --> 01:53:49,516
benefits, and the amount of $39,512 we received for review

1645
01:53:49,921 --> 01:53:54,604
and any amendments made by Council. All those in favor

1646
01:53:55,009 --> 01:54:04,867
of this motion. And that's carried. Thank you. We

1647
01:54:05,512 --> 01:54:09,587
have now finalized all nine clauses, including clause four, B.

1648
01:54:09,952 --> 01:54:14,364
We will move to clause ten. But the clause ten

1649
01:54:14,489 --> 01:54:17,924
will confirm that there are no further amendments for members

1650
01:54:18,409 --> 01:54:21,444
of Council. And I will read clause ten, and then

1651
01:54:21,769 --> 01:54:23,724
I will go to our cfo to add a little

1652
01:54:23,729 --> 01:54:26,404
bit of information to clause Ten for clarification because it

1653
01:54:26,409 --> 01:54:33,054
is a little bit confusing here. Boston that for the

1654
01:54:33,299 --> 01:54:36,574
purposes of the 2024 Budget, the 30 day period referred

1655
01:54:36,579 --> 01:54:41,774
to in subsection six of Ontario Regulation 530. 22 be

1656
01:54:41,819 --> 01:54:45,774
shortened such that it is considered expired at the time

1657
01:54:45,819 --> 01:54:50,903
of Council approval of this Resolution on December 4. 2023,

1658
01:54:51,548 --> 01:54:54,577
Glenn, can you please explain. Yes. So this is a

1659
01:54:54,582 --> 01:54:58,057
new resolution this year, specific for the new legislation. In

1660
01:54:58,422 --> 01:55:00,377
previous years, the last vote would have been a vote

1661
01:55:00,662 --> 01:55:03,337
to approve the entire budget, and the budget process would

1662
01:55:03,382 --> 01:55:06,097
have been complete this year. It was only to approve

1663
01:55:06,422 --> 01:55:09,937
amendments to the proposed budget. There's still the remaining legislative

1664
01:55:10,022 --> 01:55:14,711
timelines. So essentially, with approval of this CL. Clause. And

1665
01:55:14,956 --> 01:55:18,511
especially given that there's no further plans Council meetings between

1666
01:55:18,596 --> 01:55:22,071
now and when the time period would naturally expire. By

1667
01:55:22,156 --> 01:55:24,791
having this vote tonight, it allows us to confirm that

1668
01:55:25,036 --> 01:55:27,791
the period for amendments is finalized and proceed with the

1669
01:55:27,796 --> 01:55:31,111
remaining legislative steps, the next of which would be the

1670
01:55:31,156 --> 01:55:33,591
period the ten day period where the American make vetoes

1671
01:55:34,356 --> 01:55:38,683
Merric. Merrickrantz. Yeah, madam Chair, I've already confirmed with the

1672
01:55:38,728 --> 01:55:42,163
clerk that I'm signing off on this. And again, I

1673
01:55:42,168 --> 01:55:45,338
spoke to it earlier on democracy. Is alive and well

1674
01:55:45,743 --> 01:55:49,498
here this evening, even though I lost hope, my wishes.

1675
01:55:49,783 --> 01:55:54,218
But that's democracy. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Any

1676
01:55:54,543 --> 01:55:57,418
other further questions of clarification to the cfo on this

1677
01:55:57,703 --> 01:56:00,770
clause from anybody. I'm seeing none. So I'm going to

1678
01:56:00,815 --> 01:56:04,041
call the vote on this. All those in favor of

1679
01:56:04,766 --> 01:56:09,313
clause ten. And that is carried. With the approval of

1680
01:56:09,358 --> 01:56:16,882
this motion. I can announce that Council's period to amend

1681
01:56:16,927 --> 01:56:21,362
the proposed budget, as described in Ontario Regulation 530. 22

1682
01:56:22,047 --> 01:56:25,602
is hereby concluded. And with that members of Council, we

1683
01:56:25,647 --> 01:56:28,362
were going to go on a brief recess and we

1684
01:56:28,367 --> 01:56:30,602
will reconvene shortly. Thank you.

1685
01:58:45,753 --> 01:58:49,068
I would like to request my members of Council colleagues

1686
01:58:49,753 --> 01:58:54,710
that we are back from the recess. We are back

1687
01:58:55,075 --> 01:59:01,311
from the recess and I have just received. The signed

1688
01:59:01,716 --> 01:59:05,271
declaration from the Mayor to shorten the time to veto

1689
01:59:05,596 --> 01:59:10,685
any motions such as the Timeline expires on December. Fourth

1690
01:59:11,490 --> 01:59:14,725
and at this time through the mayor's signing of the

1691
01:59:15,010 --> 01:59:17,805
declaration received by the Town clerk as part of Public

1692
01:59:18,210 --> 01:59:21,765
Record, the 2024 budget for the Town of milton is

1693
01:59:22,130 --> 01:59:26,525
hereby finalized. And with this, we'll move on to our

1694
01:59:26,930 --> 01:59:31,008
regular business items on the agenda. Before me, I have

1695
01:59:31,333 --> 01:59:38,871
staff reports. Urs 58, two, three. Ontario Regulation 28409. It

1696
01:59:39,596 --> 01:59:43,631
is moved by councilor Malbouls and seconded by councilor kalki

1697
01:59:43,676 --> 01:59:46,791
that the compliance report for the expenses excluded from the

1698
01:59:47,076 --> 01:59:51,991
2024 budget outlined in Reports urs 57. Two, three be

1699
01:59:52,076 --> 01:59:56,431
approved as a requirement of Ontario Regulation 28409, passed under

1700
01:59:56,516 --> 01:59:59,865
the Municipal Act of 2000, and. One. Are there any

1701
02:00:00,190 --> 02:00:03,265
questions or comments to this motion? I'm seeing none. So

1702
02:00:03,310 --> 02:00:05,465
I'm going to call the vote, all those in favor.

1703
02:00:06,230 --> 02:00:09,650
And that passes. With that we move on to the

1704
02:00:09,975 --> 02:00:14,155
bylaw section. I have a motion moved by councilor Malbout.

1705
02:00:14,160 --> 02:00:18,275
Seconded, by councilor kulki that bylaw number nine, one, 2023,

1706
02:00:18,880 --> 02:00:20,715
be read, passed and numbered, and that the Mayor and

1707
02:00:20,720 --> 02:00:23,475
the Town clerk be authorized to sign the set bylaw

1708
02:00:23,520 --> 02:00:25,635
seal it with the seal of the Corporation, and that

1709
02:00:25,960 --> 02:00:32,523
they be engrossed by the bylaw book. Are there. Any

1710
02:00:32,528 --> 02:00:34,723
questions and comments from my colleagues on this and seeing

1711
02:00:34,808 --> 02:00:36,563
none, I'm going to call the vote. All those in

1712
02:00:36,648 --> 02:00:42,257
favor that passes. And with all business concluded for this

1713
02:00:42,662 --> 02:00:47,977
agenda, ladies and gentlemen, this meeting is now adjourned. Thank

1714
02:00:48,022 --> 02:00:53,708
you. Mr. Mayor has a comment. Just before you adjourn.

1715
02:00:53,753 --> 02:00:55,988
I just wanted to thank you, madam Chair, for doing

1716
02:00:56,273 --> 02:01:03,570
a nation job on the budget. It's not an easy

1717
02:01:03,655 --> 02:01:07,490
job. I know that you've been involved with staff on

1718
02:01:07,935 --> 02:01:10,610
getting this whipped into shape for some time. So I

1719
02:01:10,655 --> 02:01:13,999
just want to acknowledge that. And Glenn and all the

1720
02:01:14,044 --> 02:01:17,959
senior staff has taken a lead role on lotus. Hasn't

1721
02:01:17,964 --> 02:01:19,839
been easy and I know staff. I'm working on this

1722
02:01:19,884 --> 02:01:24,165
for many weeks and many months. With that, I take

1723
02:01:24,650 --> 02:01:26,885
the privilege, and this doesn't have to be an open

1724
02:01:27,290 --> 02:01:30,809
session. Of course. But one of your and my colleagues

1725
02:01:31,094 --> 02:01:34,316
is celebrating a very special. Day today. And I'm not

1726
02:01:34,361 --> 02:01:36,996
sure whether you're aware of or not, but I know

1727
02:01:37,721 --> 02:01:43,436
councilor ayjaz has become more mature today because today is

1728
02:01:43,481 --> 02:01:48,393
his birthday. Mayor. It's actually my birthday. Council calculate birthday,

1729
02:01:48,438 --> 02:01:54,842
not councilor Idaz's birthday. He matured a long time ago.

1730
02:01:55,407 --> 02:01:59,897
I still have some work to do. He then as

1731
02:01:59,942 --> 02:02:02,937
well become a little bit more mature. The information that

1732
02:02:02,982 --> 02:02:06,708
I got was councilor. Ijaz so. I just want to

1733
02:02:07,113 --> 02:02:11,628
congratulate councilor coke on becoming more mature as of today.

1734
02:02:12,794 --> 02:02:14,829
I think that refers to becoming a little older as

1735
02:02:14,834 --> 02:02:20,410
well. Councilor Healthy wanted to share a few sentiments. Absolutely.

1736
02:02:20,575 --> 02:02:23,650
Thank you very much for the birthday wish. Much appreciated.

1737
02:02:24,375 --> 02:02:26,770
And thank you for recognizing that I've matured. I appreciate

1738
02:02:27,095 --> 02:02:30,463
that. Mr. Mayor, I can confirm we can all use

1739
02:02:30,548 --> 02:02:32,823
a little bit of maturity here. Thank you. Thank you

1740
02:02:33,148 --> 02:02:36,143
so much, Mr. Mayor. Thank you for your comments and

1741
02:02:36,548 --> 02:02:40,703
highlighting our colleagues birthday. I have councilor Jazz now wishing

1742
02:02:40,988 --> 02:02:43,583
to speak, yeah, wishing to speak and wishing you happy

1743
02:02:43,668 --> 02:02:45,503
birthday? Had I known earlier, I would have wrote you

1744
02:02:45,908 --> 02:02:50,753
a poem. Thank you, Council Jazz. I would take this

1745
02:02:50,838 --> 02:02:57,313
moment to congratulate our staff, especially our senior staff, our

1746
02:02:57,358 --> 02:03:00,993
CEO, Andrew Sutila, for running a tight ship here. And

1747
02:03:01,398 --> 02:03:04,593
all of our senior management team, all of our commissioners,

1748
02:03:04,918 --> 02:03:09,824
all of your directors. You work so hard. And certainly

1749
02:03:10,269 --> 02:03:13,304
we see that we work with you. And we appreciate

1750
02:03:13,349 --> 02:03:15,584
you all so much and your teams who do all

1751
02:03:15,589 --> 02:03:18,184
of the Daily grind. So thank you for that. And

1752
02:03:18,229 --> 02:03:22,984
special thanks to cfo Glenn Cohen and his partner in

1753
02:03:23,029 --> 02:03:27,665
Crime, Jennifer, who honestly did a wonderful job. Preparing me

1754
02:03:27,750 --> 02:03:30,025
for tonight's meeting. And I appreciate the mayor's kind comments

1755
02:03:30,310 --> 02:03:34,025
of appreciation. Thank you so much all for attending tonight.

1756
02:03:35,168 --> 02:03:37,163
Those of you who are watching online. Thank you for

1757
02:03:37,208 --> 02:03:42,681
watching us. And being part of this meeting. With that,

1758
02:03:43,046 --> 02:03:45,881
I will now declare this meeting adjourned. Thank you.