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There, your mic's on. Can we start again? We can, by saying welcome, everyone. We'll call this meeting to order. And first, we'll have our territorial acknowledgement. I would like to acknowledge that our gathering today is taking place in McMaghi, the traditional, unseated, and ancestral territory of the McMaghi people. I would also like to acknowledge that Nova Scotia has another unique people. These are the indigenous blacks of Nova Scotia, who's legacy and contribution stayed back over 400 years, predating confederation of this land.

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We are all treaty people. So the first order of business is to get a motion to approve the agenda. Can we get a mover?

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Councillor Furlund. I move that will be approved the agenda. Thank you. Do we have a seconder?

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Councillor Chambers. Seconder. Thank you. All those in favour? Signify by saying aye.

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Motion carried. That's great. Is there any errors or revisions on the minutes of January 15, 2025?

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I'm not

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hearing none, I'll consider them accepted.

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All right, we'll go right into our third quarter financial report, and I believe Sarah, you're going to present the results, right?

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Thank you, your worship.

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So this is the third quarter financial report for the period of April 1st, 2024 to December 31st, 2024.

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So as we move through with the report, I won't explain the introduction page or the organizational structure, but

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if we go to the page with a graph on it.

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So this page is basically just a graphical representation

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of the same information on the next two pages.

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So I'm not gonna get into the details here.

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We'll get into the real number details

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on the next page and the next two pages, actually.

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Perfect.

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So looking at this page, this is a schedule of operations

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also known as an income statement

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for the General Operating Fund.

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So this is for the first nine months, April to December.

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and you'll see it had the total general operating fund is showing a surplus of $528,028 at the end of December.

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So we'll go through separately the revenues and expenditures.

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I'm going to explain as I did in the last meeting just for kind of a recap because some of our groupings are a little different than what some are used to.

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So I'll explain a little bit about what's in them as I talk about the variance.

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So, in the taxes section under revenues taxes includes residential and commercial tax revenue, uniform charges for the waste water treatment facility and solid waste, as well as de-transfer tax.

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And you'll see we have extra revenue for that category of $171,046, and really that all relates to excess de-transfer tax that we've received up to the end of December that is over and above what we budgeted for.

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We've had a number of large commercial sales this year that really is the bulk of why our

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D transfer tax revenue is quite a bit over budget.

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And those are things we like to be conservative on D transfer tax.

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And things like large commercial sales, we wouldn't want a budget for those per say on

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and go forward and then not have sales like that.

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They're not something that you can really rely on.

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The next category I'll touch on is sale of services.

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So, sale of services include such things as sewer metered revenue, sewer flat revenue,

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as well as criminal record checks, revenue that we get from Nova Scotia Power off of our

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turbine when it works over at the treatment facility, and solar that we have at our stadium

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reservoir and the treatment plant as well.

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So, you'll see that we're just slightly under budget on sale of services revenue by $3,157.

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That is from criminal record checks have come in less than we had expected, less revenues.

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That's due to some declining service providers that we have and that they haven't been giving.

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It's much criminal record check work to our police department to do.

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kind of been declining a bit ever since COVID kind of really took place.

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As well, you've probably noticed that our turbine over at the treatment plant hasn't been spinning as it should have been.

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We've had a lot of issues with it this year, and parts are getting more and

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more rare as just like anything in technology, it becomes harder and harder to do.

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So, those have both been under budget, but we've also received an increase in sewer meter consumption, so a bit more consumption than we had anticipated, so that has made that amount less of an impact than it would have been.

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The next section, other revenue from own sources.

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So this is things like fines, rentals which could be room rentals.

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It could be rentals of office space, like over at the Community Credit Union Business

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Innovation Center.

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Interest earned on our outstanding bank account balances, as well as interest on outstanding

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accounting accounts receivable as well as advertising revenue. So advertising revenue

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is like advertising revenue at the stadium, like the dash rewards and stuff like that.

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So other revenue from own sources, we have exceeded our budget to the tune of 216,000 and

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most of that is an investment income, so more interest earned on our right accounts.

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Again, as you know, interest rates right now are at high, although they're starting to decline.

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But it's also in a budget that we're very conservative on, because if we increase our

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budget to meet the interest rates now, then we're going to have to claw it back significantly,

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excuse me, in the coming years as rates go down.

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And that would be more problematic to budgeting going forward.

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We've also received a bit more interest on outstanding taxes.

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the value of our assessment rolls is a bit higher, and so that leads to some additional interest,

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not certainly not very much of that 216,000.

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Just for a point of interest, unconditional transfers,

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that's our municipal financial capacity grant that we get from the province, so that's a fixed

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amount that comes in every year, something that we don't have any control over, but we'll fall

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within budget. Conditional transfers are grants that we get from outside agencies. So, for

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example, the Department of Justice gives us grants for two-street crime positions,

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as well as a crime prevention officer in the police department. We have grants for the Office

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of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Fund, also known as our community navigator, as well

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Those conditional transfers, it's also including grants that we get from the federal government

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for summer students.

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And we're slightly under budget, and that's because our summer student grant came in less

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than we had budgeted for.

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That one is very up in the air.

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One year they could give us 10,000, and one year they give us 4,000, and we apply for the

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same thing every year, and there's no rhyme or reason, so it's a guess every year.

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And other transfers, what that is, that is transfers in from our operating reserve.

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So things that are one time expenses, not an ongoing expense.

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So for example, this year, the 35,000 that you see in the variance, that was a grant in

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the works that counts the previous council had approved after the budget was set.

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And so you'll see a corresponding expense below of the same amount.

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And it was agreed to take that out of the operating reserve.

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So it won't affect the bottom line, it's just money coming in to help offset expense.

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And in the budget of $33,750, that was a grant that was, we had earmarked in the operating reserve for Maggie's place.

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which was the final year of the rent for their building just over on Lawrence Street.

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And if you look at last year and you say the $589,000, my goodness, what is that?

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That is balloon payment for the stadium adventure that finished last year.

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The balloon payment was $542,560 and we had funded that from the operating reserve and

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and that completed that adventure,

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so there's no longer any adventure

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on the stadium right now.

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So that's the revenue section.

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So that totals with revenues,

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more revenues coming in than budgeted by $413,294.

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And moving down to the expenditure side.

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In wages and benefits,

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you'll see that we are slightly under budget by $17,000.

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We had some vacant positions

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that have been offset somewhat by some overages in over time and part time positions,

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as well as vacations that were paid out for staff who had left or retired.

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We have administrative costs that was under budget by $47,596.

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Both half of this is in professional development that's been under budget so far for the year,

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As well as some savings and conferences and liability insurance came under budget.

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You'll see as I go through some of the different sections, our insurance is liability building

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and vehicle, and liability was under, I think building was over and vehicle was in between.

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But as a nethole, we were just slightly under budget by I think a few thousand dollars.

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So, although one's over in one section, there's savings and others to offset.

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As well, we had in here advertising for the election that wasn't needed.

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And then moving on to the next section, you're building a facility cost for over budget by $42,786.

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We have property taxes in here for the solar farm up in the industrial park, that the property was exempt.

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and then PVSC turned around and made it taxable because we have a lease on the property.

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So therefore, we're required to pay taxes on it, even though we lease it out to nosecoach

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power.

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So that's something that we weren't aware of, and so it's been budgeted for going forward,

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but this year it was an un-budgeted expenditure.

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As well, electrical is over budget mostly in the stadium at this time.

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I'm kind of hoping as the year moves on that it might smooth out a little bit.

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And then building insurance in this category is over by 10,000, which pretty much offsets

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the liability in shorts that was under by 11 in the last category.

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And then moving on to vehicle and equipment costs for over budget by 26,000.

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A lot of this is in vehicle and equipment repairs.

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The police department has had an awful time this year with repairs on their vehicles,

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such as headlights, brakes, and even recently motors in their cars.

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We've also had some overtures in fuel, operational equipment, a cooler in the stadium canteen,

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along with a little bit of savings and vehicle insurance, and some small other ones to help

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offset these are over just slightly.

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Materials and supplies is under budget by 15,000, mostly in just general materials,

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asphalt, manholes, and pipe.

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Grants to organizations, you'll see over budget by 95,000 dollars.

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35,000 of that is the in the works grant that I talked about above, which is offset

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by that other transfers, 35,000, as well as the 60,000 dollars from the

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Christy Foundation in here, and that was for the grant to little league that we did back in December.

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So the Christy Foundation grant is offset down below in the cost recovery, so I'll get to that in just a second.

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Under other municipal costs, we're over budgeted by $18,000.

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So we have some overages and professional services for the inter- municipal service agreement.

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The boundary change out upper church street.

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in the new shot development area, as well as tipping fees for residential and

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our residual and organic fees of $4,100.

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As well, our host hold hazardous waste event expenses have come in over budget.

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That's something that's just been creeping and creeping year after year.

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And it's a very expensive program to put on.

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But we do have some savings in that category of under community events, as well as program

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instruction.

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So those help to offset those overages somewhat.

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Under fiscal services, and if you're saying what is fiscal services, fiscal services is

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assessment that we're required to pay to the province, to PBSC, housing, library education

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along with valuation allowance if we do allowances for

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uncollectable taxes at the end of the year,

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as well as our adventure principal and interest payments.

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So that's what's in that category.

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So you'll see in that category,

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we're under budget by $68,000.

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Corrections is under budget by $78,000.

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And this is our, that's not corrections,

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it's housing, sorry.

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We no longer pay corrections.

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Housing.

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Budget by 78,000. Lesson over it's for the library for some one time funding this year of $12,000. They had requested additional funding after we had approved our budget. So the total additional funding to the library is $16,000. But up to the end of December, it's $12,000 that we've paid them.

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Under the tax exemptions category, this category has two components to it. One is a low income rebate that we give to

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to households with an income of $28,000 and the rebate is $450.

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The other component is tax exemptions to not-for-profit organizations and things like that with

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a policy and application.

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And so in this category, we're under budget by $15,000.

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And that is all relating to the low-income tax reductions.

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and so we had 99 applicants and we budgeted for 133.

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So this is in par to what we've been receiving the last number of years.

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Since COVID, our applications have kind of dwindled a little bit.

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It seemed like maybe during COVID, when the SERB money was available,

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we had less applicants, but even after that ended,

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we still haven't got the numbers back up to what they were before that.

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So that's something that we'll be looking at in this upcoming budget year to change those levels and under cost recovery.

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We don't budget a whole lot in this section because a lot of this is unknown.

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So some of the things in the actuals and in the variance of 133,000.

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So 60,000 and that is the Christie Foundation.

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00:16:51,850 --> 00:16:56,830
There's also 68,000 that we've received for workers' compensation and

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short-term disability recoveries for employees who have been off.

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And then there's various small grants, like recreation type grants community

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living grants that are offset with small expenditures up above in the expenses.

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So that takes us to our surplus of 528,000.

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And I just want to break it down for you, so

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I'll break it down by kind of rate type.

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So within this general operating budget we have five sections that all have a breakeven

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overall annual budget.

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Sewer, solid waste, the mandatory provincial contribution area rate, the community's forward

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area rate and the general operating fund.

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So those all make up the 528,000 surplus.

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So I'll tell you kind of from each section what it is and what makes it up.

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So for the sewer budget, it has a surplus at the end of December of $3,209.

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Mainly made up of seasonal vacancy and some additional meter revenue minus our wind

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turbine revenue that is under budget.

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it. Solid waste is over by $4,013 at the end of December, and that's really all in

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tipping fees and in solid waste tipping fees. The mandatory provincial contribution area

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00:18:25,530 --> 00:18:33,770
rate is under budget, has a surplus of $69,322 at the end of December, and that's all in

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00:18:33,770 --> 00:18:40,450
housing, a little bit in assessment 3000, and then the library overage of $12,000 reduces

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00:18:40,450 --> 00:18:49,390
it to the 69. The community sport area rate has a surplus of $30,248, mostly in half in community

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00:18:49,390 --> 00:18:57,730
events and the other in the low income tax reduction rebate. And the general fund has a surplus

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of $429,263. About half of this is indeed transfer tax and the other half's investment income and

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00:19:06,310 --> 00:19:09,830
And there's various other small amounts that kind of make up the difference.

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So that totals the whole 528,000 in a kind of few different ways to look at it.

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Any questions for I go forward?

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I have one, and it relates to the checks we issue to companies that are taking advantage of the benefit that we,

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Yeah, based on, you know, they built it, and we're going to only charge some 10 percent.

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Is the tax number a net, or is it the total, and then somewhere else, we're showing the check payment to that company?

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Yeah, so good question.

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The taxes section would have their full assessment, and the full tax bill are full revenue.

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And then down below, in the fiscal services section, there's an expense in there that we

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It would be for, it was called phase-in commercial assessment.

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Right, okay.

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And in there every year, we put the amount that it's going to be based on the calculation for all of those different commercial accounts and what their amount is for the year.

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Okay, thank you.

214
00:20:15,970 --> 00:20:27,750
And so usually that one, unless something new comes up somehow ahead of when we thought it would, which usually doesn't happen, it will break even.

215
00:20:27,750 --> 00:20:33,830
So you won't hear me talk loaded in a variance because what we budget is what we paid. Okay. So thank you. I'm good

216
00:20:34,590 --> 00:20:35,770
Any other questions?

217
00:20:36,170 --> 00:20:43,270
Just a question on the taxi assumptions we budgeted it for

218
00:20:44,310 --> 00:20:46,290
Here's I think you were saying for

219
00:20:48,190 --> 00:20:50,410
133 applicants and we're down the 99

220
00:20:50,410 --> 00:20:57,610
Yeah, is that because I don't know if there's an answer here, but I'm just wondering is that because we're moving

221
00:20:57,750 --> 00:21:03,810
more towards more people renting rather than people's income going up.

222
00:21:04,470 --> 00:21:10,590
I'm just wondering if it's a good analogy could be it's hard to say because

223
00:21:10,590 --> 00:21:15,390
when we're coming into the next budget and we start looking at that I think

224
00:21:15,390 --> 00:21:18,950
it's one of the items we want to look at anyway but I'm just wondering if it's

225
00:21:18,950 --> 00:21:23,390
a percentage of people that are now renting is going up therefore they're not

226
00:21:23,390 --> 00:21:27,570
eligible obviously for that tax assumption. First the landlord that was probably not

227
00:21:28,350 --> 00:21:40,650
Exactly, and that would be something that we hired to capture in terms of knowing like I know every year we send out applications to anyone who had applied the year prior and received it.

228
00:21:41,130 --> 00:21:52,570
They automatically get sent one, but we also don't get responses back like say in 2020 when less people responded, we don't know why either.

229
00:21:52,570 --> 00:21:55,170
right, did their income change, did they rent now?

230
00:21:55,410 --> 00:21:56,950
You know, it's very difficult budget for it.

231
00:21:57,110 --> 00:22:02,730
It is, absolutely, and especially in terms of when we look at possibly changing it,

232
00:22:03,110 --> 00:22:05,390
you have no idea what your next threshold is.

233
00:22:05,530 --> 00:22:11,990
Like, if you're on the cusp of, you know, 30 more people or 80 more people, right?

234
00:22:12,190 --> 00:22:13,450
Like, it's really hard to know.

235
00:22:14,310 --> 00:22:15,190
Okay, thank you.

236
00:22:15,710 --> 00:22:21,990
See, I guess if I wasn't in addition to what I was going to say, I wouldn't think it would have

237
00:22:21,990 --> 00:22:27,690
have anything to do with less people renting, or more people renting, because the number

238
00:22:27,690 --> 00:22:32,650
of, we're building more rental housing, we're not eliminating much home ownership.

239
00:22:33,250 --> 00:22:38,150
And it's those homeowners that would be applying for this fund.

240
00:22:38,770 --> 00:22:41,590
So I think it's more probably around the income threshold.

241
00:22:42,850 --> 00:22:48,710
There's just not that many people that own a home that make less than 28,000 that want to

242
00:22:48,710 --> 00:22:50,530
a father applying for the fund is probably,

243
00:22:50,810 --> 00:22:52,530
or they don't want to share their financial information,

244
00:22:53,030 --> 00:22:56,710
because they have to show us their fee for or something

245
00:22:56,710 --> 00:22:57,150
like that.

246
00:22:58,450 --> 00:23:02,530
Well, I was going to just make two brief comments.

247
00:23:03,290 --> 00:23:05,690
One is the stadium debenture.

248
00:23:06,150 --> 00:23:08,470
Sarah said we took it out of the operating reserve,

249
00:23:08,930 --> 00:23:10,030
and that's 100% true.

250
00:23:10,490 --> 00:23:12,990
But the source of that operating reserve that year

251
00:23:12,990 --> 00:23:15,290
was we had a bit, basically, both the same amount

252
00:23:15,290 --> 00:23:16,050
of that and the surplus.

253
00:23:16,530 --> 00:23:17,790
So we put it in the operating reserve

254
00:23:17,790 --> 00:23:23,350
and then we took it immediately, basically, to pay off that debenture on the stadium.

255
00:23:24,510 --> 00:23:28,070
And the next, the other thing I was going to just mention with regard to the D transfer tax.

256
00:23:28,490 --> 00:23:30,510
And again, Sarah is 100% correct.

257
00:23:31,050 --> 00:23:36,510
Probably almost all of that surplus is in relation to the fact that the soby's mall sold.

258
00:23:37,910 --> 00:23:44,610
And what's the other mall, the dollar and the mall sold twice within a couple of months of each other.

259
00:23:44,890 --> 00:23:46,470
And that's almost all of that surplus.

260
00:23:46,470 --> 00:23:50,230
So, really, if that didn't happen, we'd be right on budget.

261
00:23:50,470 --> 00:23:53,150
So, it's very difficult to budget for those things.

262
00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:55,520
Okay.

263
00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:56,760
Councilor Wells?

264
00:23:57,140 --> 00:24:04,870
Just go back, going back to the rebate, and moving up the threshold, and I know,

265
00:24:05,070 --> 00:24:08,310
I guess there's supposed to be a discussion for another time, but I know in other communities

266
00:24:08,310 --> 00:24:14,570
I've been on, if we are budgeting a certain amount, if there's more applicants, if you can

267
00:24:14,570 --> 00:24:25,510
You can pro-rate it and say, you know, you can apply for this much, but it may be pro-rated, so if you have 200 applicants, you might get 80% of that, or if there's not as many applicants, then they might even get more than that.

268
00:24:25,690 --> 00:24:35,030
If you have a budget, and you send sticks to your budget, if maybe people can get more, if not as many people apply, or more people get a little bit less.

269
00:24:35,310 --> 00:24:37,530
So just something to think about as well moving into it.

270
00:24:37,530 --> 00:24:53,270
There are some minus penalties as I was doing some research that have a tiered approach, so some may put the income level up higher, but then the rebate amount you get reduces down, but if your income was lower, you get a much higher rebate, so there's a tier that way too that can work.

271
00:24:56,990 --> 00:25:00,250
The variance is yet a lot of backstoring all of them, which was awesome.

272
00:25:01,750 --> 00:25:04,790
The interest rate, for example, just using that as an example, you said that the rates

273
00:25:04,790 --> 00:25:06,890
are higher right now, and they're going to come down, and that's why we're budgeting

274
00:25:06,890 --> 00:25:07,490
the way we budget.

275
00:25:08,070 --> 00:25:12,910
But if you win the lot of tomorrow, is that information, like, procedure, not procedural

276
00:25:12,910 --> 00:25:16,850
as, but documented so that the next budget doesn't make those mistakes that we're trying to

277
00:25:16,850 --> 00:25:19,910
avoid by tempering them, the way we're tempering them now?

278
00:25:20,830 --> 00:25:32,450
In terms of same-vestmining, how does that continue to the next budget, if you weren't here, I guess is the question.

279
00:25:33,990 --> 00:25:42,310
I would hope my predecessor would do the same thing. Well, Jason wouldn't want to do anything differently, but you have such a grasp on the back story.

280
00:25:42,650 --> 00:25:44,570
How is that handled over to the next person?

281
00:25:44,570 --> 00:25:46,090
Yes, and good question.

282
00:25:46,650 --> 00:25:50,970
There isn't anything procedurally in place for that, but I mean, one thing we do is look

283
00:25:50,970 --> 00:25:51,790
at trends as well.

284
00:25:51,970 --> 00:25:59,090
And if you look back, you know, 2019, we were earning for a year what we earned in one

285
00:25:59,090 --> 00:25:59,730
month now.

286
00:26:00,390 --> 00:26:07,650
So I mean, you look at that as an example, like, and it's, you know, we've moved our budget

287
00:26:07,650 --> 00:26:14,330
up slightly over the last five years, but, you know, there may be a time when we have

288
00:26:14,330 --> 00:26:21,110
to scroll back down significantly, I hope we don't go that low again, but it's something

289
00:26:21,110 --> 00:26:26,610
that if you bring your budget in line to where it is today, then you most definitely have

290
00:26:26,610 --> 00:26:32,850
to find 100,000 or more in the next year or two, and that's not an easy feat to keep

291
00:26:32,850 --> 00:26:33,190
finding.

292
00:26:33,370 --> 00:26:38,410
You're better off to be conservative and have money that you know you'll just take a side

293
00:26:38,410 --> 00:26:39,910
into the reserve at the end of the year.

294
00:26:41,070 --> 00:26:45,030
I'm not familiar with budget very well so I'm just kind of a normal thing that I'd expect

295
00:26:45,030 --> 00:26:48,870
from your position moving forward from everyone or is that a serious, I don't know.

296
00:26:49,110 --> 00:26:50,830
No, it should be normal from everyone.

297
00:26:50,830 --> 00:26:51,250
Yeah, okay.

298
00:26:51,250 --> 00:26:54,050
I think everybody should have the same logic.

299
00:26:54,170 --> 00:26:55,390
I hope you win a lot of, so thank you.

300
00:26:55,410 --> 00:26:55,550
Yeah.

301
00:26:56,430 --> 00:26:57,890
Well, that would be lovely.

302
00:26:58,310 --> 00:26:59,470
I'd have to buy tickets first though.

303
00:27:01,110 --> 00:27:03,050
If there's no more questions, we'll keep going.

304
00:27:03,250 --> 00:27:03,430
Perfect.

305
00:27:03,770 --> 00:27:03,870
Okay.

306
00:27:04,330 --> 00:27:05,510
So we'll scroll to the next page.

307
00:27:06,930 --> 00:27:17,790
So, this is the same information for expenditures from the previous page, except it's laid out by departmental view instead, instead of by the other categories.

308
00:27:19,570 --> 00:27:20,130
So,

309
00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:32,020
if we look at the corporate services, actuals and budget, you'll see that we were slightly over budget by $8,600.

310
00:27:32,020 --> 00:27:38,200
dollars. This is where the cost for the professional services for the inter- municipal service agreement,

311
00:27:38,420 --> 00:27:44,820
the boundary changes that I touched on on upper church street, on the Shaw property. That's where

312
00:27:44,820 --> 00:27:52,040
those are, so those weren't anticipated. But they're offset somewhat by our vacant manager of financial

313
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:57,540
services position that we had that was vacant from April until June. In the police department, you'll

314
00:27:57,540 --> 00:28:03,780
see their over budget by $13,000, this all relates to vehicle repairs.

315
00:28:03,780 --> 00:28:12,040
As I mentioned before, they had major issues with headlights continuing to be a problem for

316
00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:17,820
them as well as breaks and as of most recently motors, which wouldn't hit in this side, but

317
00:28:17,820 --> 00:28:22,400
we'll definitely see other expenses in the fourth quarter for those.

318
00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:30,220
In the fire department, we were under budget by $9,300, really nothing in particular,

319
00:28:30,460 --> 00:28:34,220
just some smaller savings in various categories.

320
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:38,460
In communications and IT, we were under budget by $18,000.

321
00:28:38,860 --> 00:28:43,400
Our election costs are in this department, and they were under by $11,000.

322
00:28:43,860 --> 00:28:47,460
And we had some other savings in conferences and some other small areas.

323
00:28:47,460 --> 00:28:51,060
The operations budget was over by $46,000.

324
00:28:52,540 --> 00:28:57,960
We had some expenses that weren't planned for for a computer hardware at the Community

325
00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:01,900
Credit Union Business Innovation Center for a camera and sound mixer.

326
00:29:02,260 --> 00:29:05,080
Those were replacements due to a break in and theft.

327
00:29:06,820 --> 00:29:12,140
We had building repairs at the Community Credit Union Business Innovation Center for the

328
00:29:12,140 --> 00:29:20,520
The elevators, $17,000 are library, $11,000 for each back in heating, building insurance

329
00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:28,180
was over, but as I mentioned before, overall insurance is under, as well as the household

330
00:29:28,180 --> 00:29:32,900
hazard waste events in solid waste education, they fall under this budget.

331
00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:36,440
So those are all of the areas that put operations over.

332
00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:40,960
The recreation facilities is under by 22,000.

333
00:29:41,860 --> 00:29:52,880
Their under budget in wages and benefits, mostly for a park summer student as well as a vacant seasonal and some last over time then anticipated.

334
00:29:53,820 --> 00:29:59,340
There are some overages in electrical at the stadium, but those get offset with some other building savings.

335
00:30:00,780 --> 00:30:26,220
Community living department is under budget by 53,000. We have wages and benefits that were under by 30,000. We have an employee who is out on long-term disability, as well we had some savings in some student wages. And we had some cost recovery in here for programming grants. They'll be offset within the fourth quarter. And some short-term disability recovery as well.

336
00:30:29,140 --> 00:30:32,360
The planning department, their variance, their surplus,

337
00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:39,340
us on expenses is just various small amounts. In the sewage budget, they were under on expenses

338
00:30:39,340 --> 00:30:46,820
by just shy of 11,000. Mostly savings in wages and benefits for a vacancy and some small

339
00:30:46,820 --> 00:30:56,760
savings in min costs and materials. Solid waste is the tipping fees for the residual solid

340
00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:57,200
waste,

341
00:30:59,330 --> 00:31:03,990
and are there community support area rate, slightly over budget by $4,100.

342
00:31:04,610 --> 00:31:10,750
This is the grant in the works of $35,000 is in here, but it's not shown as $35,000 because

343
00:31:10,750 --> 00:31:13,750
there were some savings and special events and the low income tax reduction.

344
00:31:14,090 --> 00:31:18,570
They reduce the expense side down, so, but that's all in amongst there.

345
00:31:19,250 --> 00:31:24,770
And then down below in the mandatory expenses, we have housing under budget by $78,000, and

346
00:31:24,770 --> 00:31:30,590
the regional library over by 12, which I said before, the total amount will be 16,000

347
00:31:30,590 --> 00:31:33,110
of additional funding after the end of the year.

348
00:31:34,330 --> 00:31:36,570
Any questions on that view?

349
00:31:38,950 --> 00:31:39,050
No?

350
00:31:39,550 --> 00:31:39,750
Okay.

351
00:31:43,900 --> 00:31:45,580
We'll move along to the next page.

352
00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,260
So this is the same statement, but this is the schedule of operations for the Water Operating

353
00:31:52,260 --> 00:31:52,520
Fund.

354
00:31:52,940 --> 00:32:01,340
So the Water Operating Fund is regulated through the Utility and Review Board for the

355
00:32:01,340 --> 00:32:08,300
So our water rates are all regulated through the UIRP, and this is the last year of our

356
00:32:08,300 --> 00:32:11,900
rate study that we're in, ending in March 2025.

357
00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:17,640
So you'll see in the water utility, so it's for the first nine months as well, ending

358
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:21,360
December, and we have a surplus of $45,000.

359
00:32:22,180 --> 00:32:26,140
It seems much smaller than in the general fund, but for the water utility, this is perfectly

360
00:32:26,140 --> 00:32:28,380
normal and right in line with where we usually fall.

361
00:32:29,900 --> 00:32:45,400
So in the revenue side, we have $30,818 more than budgeted, so sale of services, so what that is, that's water installations, so new water installations on properties in town, and their connection fees.

362
00:32:46,300 --> 00:32:55,700
So we had $6,800 more, we had new services on the Tindall Road as well as a new long-term care facility, those are just kind of highlighting a few of them.

363
00:32:56,420 --> 00:33:05,660
We received a bit more interest on our outstanding water receivables, and our metered sales, we have more consumption than expected.

364
00:33:07,930 --> 00:33:13,050
In the expenditure section, wages and benefits is slightly over by $4,200.

365
00:33:13,870 --> 00:33:17,450
Most of this relates to a little bit of extra overtime.

366
00:33:17,450 --> 00:33:27,270
And administrative costs is under by $60, $5, $6,200, really various small amounts that just add up to that.

367
00:33:28,510 --> 00:33:31,710
Building a facility costs is under by $11,000.

368
00:33:32,210 --> 00:33:38,230
We're under on electrical and vehicle and equipment costs are over by $3,300.

369
00:33:38,690 --> 00:33:45,490
This is repairs to a dump truck and you'll see coming up in the capital budget we have a new dump truck coming in soon.

370
00:33:45,490 --> 00:33:53,010
So hopefully that will eliminate the repair is going forward and the materials and supplies is over by $5,700.

371
00:33:53,210 --> 00:33:58,470
This is in gravel and concrete and other municipal costs, which is like professional services and

372
00:33:58,470 --> 00:34:04,550
contracts and agreements in this budget is under buying almost $9,900 and

373
00:34:04,550 --> 00:34:07,610
it's really in those two professional services and contracts and agreements.

374
00:34:08,990 --> 00:34:13,690
So that brings us to our surplus of $45,000, any question?

375
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:17,520
Okay,

376
00:34:28,610 --> 00:34:32,690
so this is our consolidated statement of financial position, otherwise known as the balance sheet.

377
00:34:33,030 --> 00:34:36,150
So this is for April 1st, to December 31st, 2024.

378
00:34:36,990 --> 00:34:38,910
It shows the prior year as a comparable.

379
00:34:39,810 --> 00:34:42,030
And so this is made up when we say consolidated.

380
00:34:42,510 --> 00:34:49,590
So this has our general operating fund, our general capital fund, which is where all of our capital expenditures that are general nature.

381
00:34:49,590 --> 00:34:56,810
our operating reserve and our capital reserve and our water operating fund and our water

382
00:34:56,810 --> 00:35:02,190
capital expenditures. So water capital would only be things for the water utility, water

383
00:35:02,190 --> 00:35:06,990
main pipe, water dump trucks, water back hose, things like that. So this includes, this

384
00:35:06,990 --> 00:35:11,590
kind of incorporates all of them and consolidates it all together as one and looking at the town

385
00:35:11,590 --> 00:35:20,170
as a whole. So, looking at the first line, the cash and cash equivalents, so we have slightly

386
00:35:20,170 --> 00:35:26,750
more cash than we did this time last year. Some of this is just in timing really and receipt

387
00:35:26,750 --> 00:35:34,270
of grants and less capital expenditures paid out to date. In the receivables side, we're slightly

388
00:35:34,270 --> 00:35:40,410
higher than last year. We have slightly more outstanding taxes and miscellaneous receivables balance

389
00:35:40,410 --> 00:35:41,350
at the end of December.

390
00:35:42,810 --> 00:35:47,610
Some of that can be due to the taxes being higher assessed values, so it doesn't take

391
00:35:47,610 --> 00:35:49,150
long to add up to your assessment.

392
00:35:49,590 --> 00:35:51,610
Your outstanding receivables being slightly higher.

393
00:35:53,110 --> 00:35:56,410
Under the liability side, accounts payable and accrued liabilities.

394
00:35:57,250 --> 00:36:00,830
We have more than we did this time last year.

395
00:36:01,310 --> 00:36:07,170
Some of this is timing of accounts payable invoices, so some last year they may have been paid.

396
00:36:07,170 --> 00:36:17,010
This year, they're sitting in accounts payable, so it's showing a higher balance there, and it doesn't take many capital invoices to make up a few hundred thousand dollars.

397
00:36:18,170 --> 00:36:24,330
On the deferred revenue side, we have just shy 1.9 million versus just over 1 million last year.

398
00:36:25,010 --> 00:36:28,470
So we have more capital grants for projects that we haven't completed yet.

399
00:36:28,650 --> 00:36:36,770
So for example, we have a flood mitigation grant as well as our first installment of the Housing Accelerator Fund.

400
00:36:36,770 --> 00:36:42,830
We received in December, so those are both sitting there in deferred revenue and grants

401
00:36:42,830 --> 00:36:44,990
that weren't there at the same time last year.

402
00:36:46,650 --> 00:36:50,510
And long-term debt you'll see is much lower than it was last year this time.

403
00:36:51,530 --> 00:37:00,170
This includes our bloom payments as well as annual divinsure payments have been applied

404
00:37:00,170 --> 00:37:02,650
and so that makes the balance now less.

405
00:37:04,210 --> 00:37:11,610
down to the non-financial asset section. Our prepaid expenses are similar. What that

406
00:37:11,610 --> 00:37:18,710
is is IT licensing fees. We prepay for ones that relate to future years and then expense

407
00:37:18,710 --> 00:37:22,950
them in the years that they relate to. So it's related to timing and between the difference

408
00:37:22,950 --> 00:37:29,270
of them. Inventories of supplies were slightly less than we were this time last year.

409
00:37:32,070 --> 00:37:32,630
What

410
00:37:32,630 --> 00:37:37,170
some of the piping and manhole, that type of inventories.

411
00:37:38,670 --> 00:37:44,790
And then capital assets, those will be based, those will only change at year end, net of accumulated amortization.

412
00:37:45,450 --> 00:37:51,110
One of the big increases we did last year was the purchase of a fire truck, so that was some of the large bumps that you see there.

413
00:37:51,930 --> 00:38:00,110
And capital work in progress, the 2.7 versus the 4.3, last year and the 4.3 included our $2 million fire trucks, so

414
00:38:00,110 --> 00:38:04,190
So that made our expenses much more this time last year than they are this time this year.

415
00:38:05,250 --> 00:38:07,450
Any questions on the balance sheet side?

416
00:38:11,150 --> 00:38:11,750
I see none.

417
00:38:12,010 --> 00:38:12,770
We will move along.

418
00:38:14,090 --> 00:38:18,570
So the rest of this report has the capital, but it's as of December 31st.

419
00:38:18,930 --> 00:38:21,390
So we're not going to chat about those ones.

420
00:38:21,850 --> 00:38:29,110
We'll move along to the next document on the agenda that has the capital as of February

421
00:38:30,590 --> 00:38:31,150
25th.

422
00:38:32,190 --> 00:38:33,490
which is much more informative.

423
00:38:46,530 --> 00:38:55,090
Okay, so these are our capital budgets items for this year with expenses up to February 25th, so as of last week.

424
00:38:56,530 --> 00:39:03,470
And some of the costs in here, there might be a cost show up, someone used the first line item as an example, like the dump truck.

425
00:39:04,150 --> 00:39:12,410
We have that in our system as a committed cost, so we haven't fully, we haven't paid for it yet, but we've earmarked it because we did a tender on it.

426
00:39:12,410 --> 00:39:15,630
we know how much it's going to be, but we haven't received again.

427
00:39:16,070 --> 00:39:19,030
So if we do not receive it, we obviously won't pay for it,

428
00:39:19,250 --> 00:39:21,390
and it will then be a carryover into next year,

429
00:39:21,930 --> 00:39:24,450
and it will just show up on next year's capital budget.

430
00:39:24,490 --> 00:39:26,130
We'll come back in April to a council

431
00:39:26,130 --> 00:39:29,010
and ask to carryover any project that isn't finished,

432
00:39:29,310 --> 00:39:30,730
but that's what the cost will be.

433
00:39:31,270 --> 00:39:35,290
So the DOMTRAC, for example, it might come before March,

434
00:39:35,390 --> 00:39:37,590
and it might come early April, we're not sure.

435
00:39:37,930 --> 00:39:39,750
So it's up in the air right now.

436
00:39:39,990 --> 00:39:41,710
The next project, the West Victoria Street,

437
00:39:41,710 --> 00:39:42,630
We see an area to Hickman.

438
00:39:43,290 --> 00:39:49,790
This is one where we put it on our water and our general capital budgets so that we are

439
00:39:49,790 --> 00:39:51,690
ready if a grant becomes available.

440
00:39:52,090 --> 00:39:56,850
A grant hasn't become available that, or one has and we haven't been successful.

441
00:39:57,350 --> 00:40:03,290
So until we are successful in obtaining a grant, this project will not move forward until that time.

442
00:40:03,430 --> 00:40:08,990
But we keep it here so that if, because some of the grants when they come out say it must be approved by Council and be ready.

443
00:40:08,990 --> 00:40:14,610
So, instead of doing emergency council meetings to have these grants put on our capital budget,

444
00:40:14,850 --> 00:40:19,210
we have a few projects that we leave like this, and then that way they're ready.

445
00:40:20,970 --> 00:40:27,090
The next one down, you'll see almost right where the most is one line down, McCulley Street

446
00:40:27,090 --> 00:40:30,990
Booster Station Upgrades, 300,000, that will be a carryover into next year.

447
00:40:31,550 --> 00:40:36,370
The line above it, the study and design that was needed to know what the upgrades were going

448
00:40:36,370 --> 00:40:44,110
to be and once the study was complete there was no time left to do the upgrades and

449
00:40:44,110 --> 00:40:46,210
it's probably likely that the upgrades will be more.

450
00:40:47,290 --> 00:40:54,350
So you know, first draft of the study or first quick look at the study that I've seen those

451
00:40:54,830 --> 00:40:59,550
upgrades are going to be, you might want to put a one in front of that number, they're

452
00:40:59,550 --> 00:41:01,310
going to be significant if we're going to do that.

453
00:41:01,310 --> 00:41:08,270
So that will come to council at some point, but it's going to be a big number.

454
00:41:08,770 --> 00:41:13,610
Good thing is we can probably get some grant money for it, we hope, and it's mostly in

455
00:41:13,610 --> 00:41:14,210
the water utility.

456
00:41:15,310 --> 00:41:19,390
So yeah, I just want to give it a heads up there a little bit, now that we know a little

457
00:41:19,390 --> 00:41:19,890
bit more.

458
00:41:20,130 --> 00:41:20,970
That's 300,000.

459
00:41:21,290 --> 00:41:22,610
No longer a realistic number.

460
00:41:22,730 --> 00:41:27,310
And to be honest, it was just developed three or four years ago and pulled out of a hat

461
00:41:27,310 --> 00:41:30,430
and said, we really don't know what it's going to be, but let's put a number there for

462
00:41:30,430 --> 00:41:33,630
for discussion purposes anyways.

463
00:41:37,180 --> 00:41:40,160
The next one is the well field engineering design and construction.

464
00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:44,840
So it was the budget or sorry, the actuals are around $93,000 and the budget was $80.

465
00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:49,020
This one, this was just the cost of materials.

466
00:41:49,240 --> 00:41:52,280
There was an engineer's estimate that was $167,000.

467
00:41:52,660 --> 00:41:59,320
So staff worked wonders and were able to bring the cost in at just $93 versus $167.

468
00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:03,160
And there's some savings in the next line down.

469
00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:05,420
on the replacement of the pump in well P3

470
00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:07,520
that will help doff set that over it.

471
00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:10,860
And Russell Street Phase two,

472
00:42:11,240 --> 00:42:13,280
that project will carry over into next year.

473
00:42:13,380 --> 00:42:15,660
That one did not happen this year.

474
00:42:16,420 --> 00:42:18,440
And the lamb purchases, the potential ones

475
00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:19,440
for the challenge fund.

476
00:42:20,460 --> 00:42:22,840
Those, no projects came to fruition this year,

477
00:42:22,940 --> 00:42:25,240
no lamb purchases, so that will be carried over as well.

478
00:42:25,700 --> 00:42:28,940
And that one is fully funded all 275,000

479
00:42:28,940 --> 00:42:30,400
by a grant from the challenge fund.

480
00:42:30,540 --> 00:42:32,080
So there was no money paid by the town.

481
00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:40,080
And what it is, it's to purchase land in a protected area of our well field to help preserve the well field over time.

482
00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:47,500
So moving down under the equipment, the LED lighting upgrade, 670,000.

483
00:42:47,700 --> 00:42:53,440
That project has been on for a few years, and it's as well has been contingent on grant funding.

484
00:42:53,660 --> 00:42:56,360
And no grants have been able to be secured.

485
00:42:56,580 --> 00:43:01,180
And looking at going forward, it's likely that this one will just be canceled.

486
00:43:01,180 --> 00:43:06,640
because the grants can't be matched up to what it is that we're looking for,

487
00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:08,980
and so we'll just pause and change.

488
00:43:09,180 --> 00:43:15,720
It was put on there because I believe LED railway had thought there was a grant

489
00:43:15,720 --> 00:43:21,660
that could be beneficial to us a few years back, but then once the grant was submitted,

490
00:43:21,780 --> 00:43:25,320
it was denied, so that's why it never kind of fully came to fruition.

491
00:43:25,840 --> 00:43:27,120
You have something to add to that?

492
00:43:27,240 --> 00:43:29,180
Yeah, just briefly, you're exactly right.

493
00:43:29,180 --> 00:43:33,700
They had a new technology that they wanted to pile it in amers, and they thought they could get some money for it.

494
00:43:34,420 --> 00:43:39,660
And our lights had a 10 year warranty, the warrant he's now expired, I think we're at year 13 or 14.

495
00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:44,700
But we have a former LED roadway employee working force, and

496
00:43:44,700 --> 00:43:51,080
apparently the lights we have are kind of like your old tank of a truck that was built in 1967.

497
00:43:51,240 --> 00:43:53,860
It's going to last forever, they're lasting really well.

498
00:43:54,360 --> 00:43:57,280
So if we're not going to get a significant grant.

499
00:43:57,280 --> 00:44:06,100
I don't think I can recommend that we do a full sale replacement of 3,000 lights, if really they're working pretty good as it is.

500
00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:12,680
If LED can pile in a new project and they can come up with the majority of the money, then that might make something different.

501
00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:20,760
The next one I have in the equipment section is a one ton dump truck and

502
00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:22,840
cell truck that will be a carryover.

503
00:44:22,960 --> 00:44:27,000
I believe it has been ordered, but will not make delivery before the end of March.

504
00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:32,920
And in the buildings in the land section, the forefathers library, the HVAC upgrade.

505
00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:36,580
This one has been tendered twice with no response.

506
00:44:38,020 --> 00:44:47,860
And likely if we were to do something there, it would be more expensive and maybe nobody

507
00:44:47,860 --> 00:44:53,220
has tendered because they believe that it would be better off of maybe something different

508
00:44:53,220 --> 00:44:54,480
a different system of some sort.

509
00:44:54,480 --> 00:44:59,960
So, we will likely end, I don't know if you want to say this because we have issues sometimes, but it's been working.

510
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:28,360
Working well so far, so we'll likely just cancel this project until such time as something is needed on a larger scale. The land purchase is at 8 lower LaPlanche Street. That is ongoing and has been, there's been some legal issues on the side of the seller, the estate. So that one is still working forward may happen by the end of March, but probably unlikely, hopefully in the near future though.

511
00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:37,720
Land Sale Blane Street, the costs that you see there are work that has been done up to get

512
00:45:37,720 --> 00:45:43,920
the property ready for sale. When the property does sell, those costs will be offset with

513
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:52,500
the sale proceeds. And then down below the last four, but three of them. So the industrial

514
00:45:52,500 --> 00:45:57,200
park signage area upgrades, the visitor welcome signage, and the landscaping for eight lower

515
00:45:57,200 --> 00:46:04,700
the plant street. Those three projects are all have work and progress going on on them but won't be

516
00:46:04,700 --> 00:46:08,420
complete by March 31st so those will carry over into next fiscal year.

517
00:46:12,130 --> 00:46:13,050
Moving along.

518
00:46:14,750 --> 00:46:20,290
The Larrage Multicategory projects. The West Victoria street and the Russell street the first

519
00:46:20,290 --> 00:46:24,870
top two are the same as I mentioned on the water side so they're both contingent on grants.

520
00:46:25,110 --> 00:46:27,790
Grants have not been secured so projects will not move forward.

521
00:46:27,790 --> 00:46:32,730
Russell Street Phase 2 will be moving into next fiscal year.

522
00:46:32,810 --> 00:46:33,570
It did not happen.

523
00:46:34,370 --> 00:46:39,730
The upper church street new housing development, you'll see 450 of the 540.

524
00:46:40,430 --> 00:46:48,830
There'll be no more expenses on that this year but the project will carry forward because there's still the top coat of the asphalt remaining to be spent.

525
00:46:49,590 --> 00:46:52,230
Marshview Drive, Lamb Purchase Year 2 of 2.

526
00:46:52,770 --> 00:46:57,330
We paid that out but when we did the capital budget last year was a 4-year end.

527
00:46:57,330 --> 00:47:01,830
And we actually ended up setting up a payable for that in the general capital fund.

528
00:47:02,250 --> 00:47:08,210
So it doesn't show up on the capital budget, but we do make that expense in February, so that it's been complete.

529
00:47:09,690 --> 00:47:12,430
And March, you drive our new housing development.

530
00:47:13,250 --> 00:47:17,270
Actuals to date of 257,000, the budget of 200,000.

531
00:47:17,870 --> 00:47:25,230
There's still more to come on this project that will be in next fiscal year, and this project is over budget.

532
00:47:25,230 --> 00:47:32,350
every mayor with the West Victoria Street project we've had that on I think two

533
00:47:32,350 --> 00:47:39,310
years now at least should we be looking at during the budget process of increasing

534
00:47:39,310 --> 00:47:43,890
that amount based on me because I don't think we're going to be able to get that

535
00:47:43,890 --> 00:47:49,450
for that amount we may have to have a special council meeting if a grant does come

536
00:47:49,450 --> 00:47:54,250
available because I'm just wondering I'm thinking that like that number may be a

537
00:47:54,250 --> 00:47:54,930
a little low now.

538
00:47:55,670 --> 00:47:57,290
Right, so well we'll do this year.

539
00:47:57,790 --> 00:47:59,610
You're 100% right?

540
00:47:59,810 --> 00:48:00,870
We will re-value it.

541
00:48:01,290 --> 00:48:04,230
We take our tenders from this current year

542
00:48:04,750 --> 00:48:07,330
and apply those numbers with a little bit of increase

543
00:48:07,810 --> 00:48:11,450
to next year and hoping that it doesn't escalate

544
00:48:11,450 --> 00:48:12,150
even more than that.

545
00:48:12,230 --> 00:48:13,430
Yeah, okay, thank you.

546
00:48:14,770 --> 00:48:15,770
Okay, keep going.

547
00:48:16,450 --> 00:48:18,350
And Jason, was there anything you wanted to add

548
00:48:18,350 --> 00:48:19,570
in terms of Marshoe?

549
00:48:20,350 --> 00:48:21,910
Yeah, we updated council, but we have

550
00:48:21,910 --> 00:48:23,490
an updated the audit committee.

551
00:48:23,490 --> 00:48:27,250
So, the MERSHU Drive project is significantly over budget.

552
00:48:27,830 --> 00:48:36,130
The main reason is we made a decision instead of putting in a lift station at the back end in phase three.

553
00:48:36,130 --> 00:48:39,930
We made a decision to dig deeper and avoid the need of a lift station.

554
00:48:40,430 --> 00:48:47,410
And by doing that in phase one and two, it increased the cost significantly, excuse me.

555
00:48:48,310 --> 00:48:51,590
And to be quite honest, we didn't know how significant they would be.

556
00:48:51,590 --> 00:49:00,050
They were much more significant than we thought they were going to be, but at the end of the day, over the long term, it is going to save us money by not installing an operating lift station.

557
00:49:00,870 --> 00:49:10,810
And I guess offset that over to the good news is we have sales on five of the 10 lots, so far, which is, which is, is possible. But yeah, that is significantly over budget.

558
00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:16,540
Okay. We'll move along to the street section.

559
00:49:16,540 --> 00:49:24,600
So this is paving, like capital paving of town streets, and you'll see we're over budget

560
00:49:24,600 --> 00:49:24,940
here.

561
00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:30,940
There's overges, the overgesory relate to filling in irregularities in the existing

562
00:49:30,940 --> 00:49:31,980
asphalt surface.

563
00:49:32,720 --> 00:49:38,780
For example, potholes, wheel rods, settled surface cuts, and other minor depressions and deformities

564
00:49:38,780 --> 00:49:39,500
in the asphalt.

565
00:49:40,820 --> 00:49:46,740
Now, Anson Avenue CNR to the tracks, CNR tracks to Chandler, that project was extended

566
00:49:46,740 --> 00:49:53,280
by 12 meters to address poor road conditions in the intersection, as well on Rupert Spring

567
00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:58,340
to Victoria. That paving was extended by 7 meters to address poor road conditions on

568
00:49:58,340 --> 00:50:02,560
the south side of the intersection. And the other thing to note with this is we have

569
00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:07,260
established these budgets in the fall based on the existing road conditions, so it doesn't

570
00:50:07,260 --> 00:50:11,840
factor in if the roads deteriorate quite a bit over the winter with the salt and the

571
00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:16,780
plows and things like that. So going forward we'll allow for some extra contingencies

572
00:50:16,780 --> 00:50:22,280
on our street paving to hopefully offset some of those overages.

573
00:50:23,540 --> 00:50:29,960
In the sidewalk section there's nothing really to point out and same thing in the storm sewer

574
00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:32,540
section everything looks pretty in line there.

575
00:50:34,180 --> 00:50:38,600
Moving along, same in the fire department section, everything is fine.

576
00:50:39,180 --> 00:50:46,720
In the police department, the first three projects, the HVAC, the body armor and the containment

577
00:50:46,720 --> 00:50:48,020
equipment are done.

578
00:50:48,740 --> 00:50:55,240
The radio base and install has been ordered and is being programmed, but it will be really

579
00:50:55,240 --> 00:50:59,440
tight if we will get it before April 1st, so it may end up being a carryover.

580
00:50:59,440 --> 00:51:03,900
for the vehicle patrol one, the car has arrived,

581
00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:07,200
but it's in Halifax being equipped with all of its police

582
00:51:07,200 --> 00:51:11,400
gadgets, so they're hoping they can have it back by April

583
00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:14,820
1st and that'll be done, if not, it may end up being a

584
00:51:14,820 --> 00:51:15,680
carryover as well.

585
00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:19,620
So for us, it has to be complete and done by March 31st

586
00:51:19,620 --> 00:51:22,880
Phoenix Pense this year, otherwise it has to fall into the

587
00:51:22,880 --> 00:51:23,520
next year.

588
00:51:24,980 --> 00:51:28,580
The dispatch console is software that will be a carryover.

589
00:51:29,720 --> 00:51:35,020
There's a bunch of the project done now, there's many different parts of it, but majority

590
00:51:35,020 --> 00:51:38,260
of it is done, but there's still some components that they're waiting for.

591
00:51:39,380 --> 00:51:43,920
And if you recall, I believe it was December council, the watch guard body cameras and storage

592
00:51:44,700 --> 00:51:49,620
council made the decision to move that to the operating budget and lease the body cameras

593
00:51:49,620 --> 00:51:56,300
as it was more cost efficient so that will not show any expense on that line this year.

594
00:51:56,300 --> 00:52:00,820
And there's a little bit of more cost for the drone, a few thousand dollars, and the

595
00:52:00,820 --> 00:52:02,920
virtual firearms training platform is complete.

596
00:52:04,300 --> 00:52:10,520
And in recreation, the third project, the Mars Trail and Clinton Trail gate enhancements,

597
00:52:11,140 --> 00:52:15,700
there's some more purchases that have been complete but haven't been expense yet in our

598
00:52:15,700 --> 00:52:21,440
system, so that will have more actuals before the end of the year and will be complete.

599
00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:27,420
And the accessible playground, the third project from the bottom, this budget is 600,000.

600
00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:33,640
That as well was contingent on grant funding, and so that grant didn't come to fruition.

601
00:52:33,860 --> 00:52:37,700
And so that project will carry over into next year as well, let me cap a little budget.

602
00:52:39,240 --> 00:52:41,180
So that's basically capital projects.

603
00:52:41,600 --> 00:52:45,620
Jason, that's something to add to just two quick things on the accessible playground.

604
00:52:45,900 --> 00:52:48,560
I'm not even sure we got to the point where we were applying for the grant.

605
00:52:48,560 --> 00:52:53,580
because there were still in the project development phase so if I'm if I'm

606
00:52:53,580 --> 00:52:57,400
wrong on that please let me know but I don't think we are because I personally I

607
00:52:57,400 --> 00:53:00,960
don't know where it's going yet. No that sounds probably more accurate then.

608
00:53:01,280 --> 00:53:07,300
Yeah and yeah I fit and the other one up there was the the police firearms training

609
00:53:07,300 --> 00:53:11,700
platform just some of you may not know I and correct me if I'm wrong that's 100

610
00:53:11,700 --> 00:53:15,240
percent paid for by the problems. Yeah I'm Department of Justice. Yeah okay

611
00:53:15,240 --> 00:53:15,720
Thank you.

612
00:53:16,860 --> 00:53:17,260
Great.

613
00:53:18,700 --> 00:53:19,480
Any questions?

614
00:53:21,420 --> 00:53:22,000
All good?

615
00:53:24,310 --> 00:53:28,930
I actually have more of a comment back to our last meeting when I think the two of you

616
00:53:28,930 --> 00:53:32,970
were talking about questioning the vehicle tender.

617
00:53:33,170 --> 00:53:34,850
And I said I'd take a look if I could get a hold of it.

618
00:53:35,350 --> 00:53:38,930
I don't know if this is the forum, but I did take a look and had some conversations with

619
00:53:38,930 --> 00:53:39,450
Kim Jones.

620
00:53:39,950 --> 00:53:45,330
There's a lot of activity and work that you folks are doing with the tendering process.

621
00:53:45,330 --> 00:53:49,850
that is no longer necessary since the Atlantic procurement agreement was resolved in 2020.

622
00:53:50,510 --> 00:53:54,150
So the thresholds actually, the trade agreements are much higher than what you're going to

623
00:53:54,150 --> 00:53:54,630
tender for.

624
00:53:55,230 --> 00:54:01,350
So you can institute policy internally that requires lower thresholds, but according to all the

625
00:54:01,350 --> 00:54:06,890
trade agreements that the MASH sector has to abide by, you technically only have to go

626
00:54:06,890 --> 00:54:13,670
to tender for things that are 133.8 or over for goods and 334.4 for services or construction.

627
00:54:13,670 --> 00:54:18,630
and currently what's in the policy is 25,000 for the APA.

628
00:54:18,710 --> 00:54:19,530
You're referencing the APA.

629
00:54:19,610 --> 00:54:23,530
It was 25,000 for goods, 50 for services, and 100 for construction.

630
00:54:24,450 --> 00:54:28,030
So one of the reasons why the Atlantic Premiers dissolved that,

631
00:54:28,290 --> 00:54:31,690
it was an increase in administrative burden,

632
00:54:32,130 --> 00:54:34,890
cost timelines to do it, for minimal savings,

633
00:54:34,890 --> 00:54:38,370
by going to tender publicly for something that's $30,000.

634
00:54:38,890 --> 00:54:41,030
Where you can do a competitive process that's not public,

635
00:54:41,210 --> 00:54:43,230
doesn't take that long, doesn't take that much effort,

636
00:54:43,230 --> 00:54:48,130
it doesn't take, you know, returns on your administrative side of the house are massive

637
00:54:48,130 --> 00:54:51,370
when you go from 25,000 to 133, what you're going to tender for.

638
00:54:52,650 --> 00:54:52,670
So.

639
00:54:53,330 --> 00:54:54,770
Okay, thank you for doing that.

640
00:54:55,150 --> 00:54:56,610
There's a lot of low hanging fruit.

641
00:54:56,810 --> 00:54:56,930
Yeah.

642
00:54:56,970 --> 00:54:57,730
That's good news.

643
00:54:57,970 --> 00:54:58,350
That is.

644
00:54:59,470 --> 00:55:00,790
Well, before it's not good.

645
00:55:02,710 --> 00:55:03,170
Yeah.

646
00:55:03,510 --> 00:55:08,790
If I'm going to give you some advice on how to navigate the tariffs and the pre-agency.

647
00:55:10,330 --> 00:55:11,050
Kind of.

648
00:55:12,410 --> 00:55:16,950
I actually listened to a webinar from the procurement law episode on Ontario last week.

649
00:55:17,110 --> 00:55:18,110
We have to do this for our clients.

650
00:55:18,550 --> 00:55:22,870
Our clients all across the country are asking us to do this, where can we get out of our

651
00:55:22,870 --> 00:55:27,370
contracts, where we're going to be affected by tariffs just in general, like there's a ton

652
00:55:27,370 --> 00:55:33,210
of questions, but where it starts is understanding what you're buying, what you contractually

653
00:55:33,210 --> 00:55:38,810
obligate it to buy, where you have available, I know as like a municipality, you have the

654
00:55:38,810 --> 00:55:42,410
ability to leverage existing contracts with group purchasing organizations that you may

655
00:55:42,410 --> 00:55:44,470
not even know that you're a priority to for free.

656
00:55:45,390 --> 00:55:49,730
And then you can just look at those contracts and say, okay, is that a U.S. manufacturer

657
00:55:49,730 --> 00:55:50,970
just, is a U.S. company?

658
00:55:51,450 --> 00:55:55,890
Where can we, so the first point is kind of identifying where you are and what your options

659
00:55:55,890 --> 00:55:56,230
are.

660
00:55:56,650 --> 00:56:01,670
And then going from there and trying to source within Canada, avoiding the tariffs as much

661
00:56:01,670 --> 00:56:02,250
as possible.

662
00:56:02,450 --> 00:56:07,050
So, there's a lot of work underway, federally, provincially, and with the municipalities

663
00:56:07,050 --> 00:56:07,610
too.

664
00:56:07,610 --> 00:56:11,670
But yeah, I can probably give a little bit of advice nice

665
00:56:12,630 --> 00:56:16,110
Thank you. All right

666
00:56:17,130 --> 00:56:17,930
That's the

667
00:56:18,750 --> 00:56:23,130
Quarter or capital budget. I guess that's it. Is this era? That's it. We got no more questions

668
00:56:24,570 --> 00:56:25,710
I guess we're gonna join

669
00:56:27,350 --> 00:56:32,210
Motion to a jury so do you know don't need a motion do it. We're done

670
00:56:32,210 --> 00:56:37,190
I have still move it. That's up. I've got the power. Okay