Meaford councillors got together for a special meeting on Thursday February 18 to talk about the Capital Budget for 2010.
Treasurer David Kennedy presented members of council with a laundry list of projects that need to get done throughout the municipality.Among the items on the list are exterior signage and balcony renovations at Meaford Hall, dock replacements and paving at the Harbour, an emergency generator for the arena, replacement fire trucks, and some 45 road repair projects.
The capital projects put before council come with a price tag of $5.3 million. The challenge ahead for Kennedy and the rest of municipal staff is to find funding sources in order to enable these projects to get done.
So far, according to Kennedy he has been able to determine external funding via grants and subsidies, development charges and other funding sources that would cover roughly $640,000 plus another $225,000 that would come from current revenues and reserves.
Some councillors expressed frustration with having been presented the massive 'to do' list without support documentation that would prioritize the projects by need and importance, and a detailed game plan.
“Thanks for the detail, but it lacks a point to point plan,” offered Deputy Mayor Michael Traynor.
Kennedy assured members of council that the information put before them was for information purposes, and was essentially a 'wish list' outlining everything that needs attention if funding could be found. He indicated that staff is already working on prioritizing the projects and putting together work plans.
Kennedy also pointed out that the municipality currently has roughly $1.2 million in road reserves that could be used toward the road repair and resurfacing projects which account for 56 percent of the dollar value of all identified projects at slightly more than $3 million.
When asked about the lack of grant funds identified to help cover the cost of many of the projects, Kennedy was blunt.
“The grant field has dried up considerably councillor,” responded Kennedy who went on to inform council that he and the rest of municipal staff are seeking every possible opportunity to apply for and receive grant funding for capital projects.
Much of the discussion and debate centred on the lengthy list of roads requiring either hard-top or granular resurfacing. Frustration was evident as councillors felt that they were being asked to make decisions about badly needed infrastructure repairs while having their hands tied by financial constraints.
Councillor Lemon reminded council that the financial problems in the municipality are not new, and that the current Senior Management Team (SMT) including Kennedy and CAO Frank Miele have worked hard to put together a five year plan that maps out the road to financial stability. Lemon advised council that they needed to exercise some patience and let the plan run it's course.
“It's frustrating,” said Lemon, “But it's a reality, and it's not a new reality.”
After an evening of being subjected to many questions with regard to priority levels for many of the projects identified for roads and recreational facilities, Director of Operations Stephen Vokes took exception to the term 'wish list' that was used often during the meeting.
“If this truly was a wish list, then I'd have an indoor pool and an outdoor pool in there,” argued Vokes, “These are projects that need to be done.”
The challenge will be finding the money to get them done.
The next public budget working session meetings are scheduled for Tuesday March 2, and Thursday March 11.
