The following article appeared in the February 15 edition of the Guelph Mercury:
City managers will be sharpening their pencils — and maybe scalpels — over the next two weeks after city councillors asked Monday to see scaled-back 2011 budgets.
Three of the four executive directors who presented draft budgets Monday evening were asked to do some fine-tuning before councillors gather March 2 to approve the 2011 operating and capital budgets.
Councillors earlier heard the budget package, as presented two weeks ago, would represent a 5.67 per cent tax increase. That seemed too much for some around the horseshoe Monday night.
Rookie Coun. Andy Van Hellemond got the ball rolling, asking community and social services executive director Ann Pappert to reduce her proposed budget by five per cent.
“Right now we only have one choice,” Van Hellemond said. “I’d like to see something else with a reduction in it.”
Later in the meeting, fellow council newcomer Jim Furfaro made a similar five-per-cent reduction request of Janet Laird, executive director of planning, engineering and environmental services.
In between, the focus was on operations and transit executive director Derek McCaughan.
While Coun. Ian Findlay did not apparently have a specific number in mind, he asked McCaughan to suggest some services which might not be offered or could be reduced to save money.
McCaughan noted most of the services offered by his large department are mandated by council, but added if councillors adjusted their standards, the services could be done cheaper. For instance, McCaughan said, instead of requiring roads to be plowed after 8 cm of snow had fallen — as is currently the case — councillors could vote to keep the plows parked until 10 cm had fallen.
“We’d have to go back in and say, ‘What can we do to reduce the standard?’ ” McCaughan explained, adding that would be impossible to achieve in the next two weeks and should instead happen in advance of the 2012 budget.
The only executive director not asked to reduce his proposed budget was human resources and legal boss Mark Amorosi, who said his request for 2011 represents a six-per-cent reduction from last year.
City councillors will gather again Tuesday evening to hear budget presentations from outside boards.
Here are the highlights of Monday’s staff presentations:
Community and Social Services
Pappert told councillors her department requires a 33.7 per cent increase over its 2010 budget, representing $2.4 million in new costs.
A portion of this increase is aimed at getting a better handle on how Wellington County spends the approximately $23 million the city provides annually for the provision of social services and housing to Guelph residents.
This would include a $100,000, one-time expense for an assessment of social service delivery designed to improve accountability and the city’s understanding of how the county’s social service departments operates.
As well, staff is proposing to hire three employees to provide expertise to council and the community and social services department.
Operations and Transit
McCaughan said his department is looking for a total of 9.4 per cent more than last year. This would include the creation of five new staff positions, including a sign and sidewalk inspector who would make $141,000.
McCaughan’s budget also includes $140,000 for a master parking study, looking particularly at parking needs in the downtown core. This did not find favour with all councillors.
Findlay suggested shelving the study and applying those funds instead to a proposed parking garage on Wilson Street.
Coun. Gloria Kovach, a longtime opponent of free two-hour parking downtown, again suggested revisiting the program, which costs the city nearly $1 million annually in lost revenue.
Findlay also asked to see the cost impact of not reducing bus service in the summer, and of reintroducing service on selected statutory holidays.
Planning, engineering and environmental services
Laird is looking for a 4.7 per cent increase over 2010 which would include several new hires including $90,000 for a manager to oversee operation of the new organics processing plant.
Laird said her department is expecting a significant jump in revenue, including more than $900,000 from its solid waste division through increased user fees and sale of recyclables.
But this will be offset by significant expenses, including more than $5 million for road and stormwater management programs.
Human resources and legal
Amorosi said there will be some small increases in expenses, but the overall six per cent reduction will be achieved through increases in fines revenue from the city-operated Provincial Offences court.
As well, moving the court into the former City Hall and out of leased space will save the city about $182,000.