The Corporation of the City of Kawartha Lakes

Minutes

Budget Committee Meeting

Thursday, September 26, 2024

9:30 A.m. - 1:15 P.m.

Council Chambers

City Hall

26 Francis Street, Lindsay, Ontario K9V 5R8

Members:

• Councillor Dan Joyce
• Deputy Mayor Charlie McDonald
• Councillor Tracy Richardson

Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. The City of Kawartha Lakes is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. Please contact [email protected] if you have an accessible accommodation request.

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1.

Call to Order

Chair C. McDonald called the meeting to order at 9:29 a.m. Budget Committee members T. Richardson and D. Joyce were in attendance.
CAO Ron Taylor, Director of Corporate Services S. Beukeboom, Director of Human Services C. Faber, Manager of Housing Services M. Corley, Manager of Human Services J. Mitchell, Executive Director of Victoria Manor P. Kulas, CEO of KLH Housing Corp. K. Maxwell, City Clerk C. Ritchie, Deputy Clerk J. Watts, Deputy Clerk S. O'Connell, Executive Assistant to the CAO J. Pyle, Manager of Records and Archival Services A. Fornelli, Manager of Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing A. Sloan, Manager of Provincial Offences S. Dimanno, Insurance and Risk Management Officer T. Peterson, Acting Manager of Realty Services L. Carnochan, Treasurer C. Daynes, Fire Chief T. Jones, Deputy Fire Chief S. Moore, Executive Assistant Fire Services V. Knights, Executive Assistant Corporate Services N. Bloomfield, Senior Accountant J. Hood, and Executive Assistant to the Mayor and Council C. Ellison were also in attendance in Council Chambers. City Solicitor R. Carlson joined by Zoom.

2.

Administrative Business

2.1

Adoption of Agenda

• BC2024-45
  Moved By Councillor Richardson
  Seconded By Councillor Joyce

  That the Agenda for the Budget Committee Meeting of Thursday, September 26, 2024, be adopted as circulated.

  Carried

2.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interest

Councillor Joyce noted that he has participated in conferences related to Continuing Education for Emergency Management and should any discussion related to that specific area occur, he would inform the chair.

2.3

Adoption of Minutes from Previous Meeting

• BC2024-46
  Moved By Councillor Joyce
  Seconded By Councillor Richardson

  That the Minutes of the Budget Committee Meeting of Wednesday, September 25, 2024, be received and adopted.

  Carried

3.

Deputations

There were no deputations.

4.

Presentations

4.1

BC2024-09.4.1

Departmental Budget Presentation - Human Services
Cheryl Faber, Director of Human Services

Director Faber provided the proposed 2025 budget for the Human Services department noting that Victoria Manor's budget is included here, but not the budget for KLH, as that budget has already been presented to the Committee. Human Services comprises the Service Management for KLH, Child Care Services, Social Assistance Services (Ontario Works), Housing and Homelessness Services and provides Long-Term Care through Victoria Manor.
It was noted that there are a lot of federal and provincial grants that flow through this department to provide services to residents; this results in large expenditures in the Transfer to External Clients lines (especially in Child Care through the Federal Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care grant of about $16M). It was also noted that across each of the divisions in the department there have been many legislative changes over the year and more are forth-coming. This has resulted in extra time spent in adjusting to the changes and readying programs for entirely new funding models in some cases. Federal funding amounts in Housing Services is also decreasing year-after-year, anticipating that it will be phased out by 2030.
Victoria Manor's proposed budget is within the 3% mandated increase and staff are continuing to work toward the provincial target of achieving 4 hours of direct care to residents and 30mins of allied care. Currently they are achieving 4.25 hours of combined direct and allied health care.
Some of the 2024 accomplishments are the creating of 104 new licensed centre- and home-based child care spaces; the adoption of an interdepartmental encampment response protocol; and the initiation of a comprehensive housing and homelessness needs assessment. In 2025 they are targeting an additional 201 new childcare spaces, the implementation of a new Ontario Works centralized intake system; and the full implementation of the integrated care hub.
The proposed 2025 Budget includes an increase of $1,257,299 for a total budget of $9,630,972.

• BC2024-47
  Moved By Councillor Joyce
  Seconded By Councillor Richardson

  That the Human Services Departmental Budget presentation be received.

  Carried

4.2

BC2024-09.4.2

Departmental Budget Presentation - CAO Department
Ron Taylor, CAO

CAO Taylor presented the budget for the CAO Department, comprised of the Office of the City Clerk and Legal Services under the City Solicitor, as well as the budget for the Mayor and Council. There are 48 FTE staff across the department with the proposed budget including 1 new position for an assistant City Solicitor. As a whole the department provides support to the rest of the corporation and advice to Council through the CAO, who acts as liaison between Council and the City. The Office of the City Clerk is responsible for all statutory duties, including records management, freedom of information requests, vital statistics, elections, and is the Secretariat to Council and committees. Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing provides enforcement services for By-Laws and provides licensing programs, such as the Short Term Rental program. Legal Services are responsible for Provincial Offences administration, Insurance and Risk Management, and Realty Services.
Some of the 2024 accomplishments include implementation of the City's Housing Pledge; completion of city appraisals for asset management and insurance purposes; reaching over $600K in land sales revenue; and the implementation of the STR program. in 2025 the department is looking to advance a number of strategic plan priorities, review all Council Policies, increase digital record access, prepare for the 2026 election, and plan for the 25th anniversary of the City.
The total increase in the 2025 proposed budget is $394,188 for a total budget of $8,164,776.
The 2024 accomplishments of Council included the passing of the Rural Zoning By-Law, approving the new Strategic Plan, investing in after-hours clinics and hosting the International Plowing Match. In 2025, priorities for Council include establishing a GO Transit Link, completing the Coboconk Wellness Centre, launching a new Climate Change Strategy, and preparing for the 25th anniversary of the City.
The total increase for the Mayor and Council's budget is $21,478 for a total budget $685,762.

• BC2024-48
  Moved By Councillor Richardson
  Seconded By Councillor Joyce

  That the CAO Departmental Budget presentation be received.

  Carried

4.3

BC2024-09.4.3

Departmental Budget Presentation - Fire Services
Terry Jones, Fire Chief

Chief Jones presented the Fire Services budget. The department includes administration, Fire Prevention, Emergency Management, Support Services (the firefighters), and Training. The Fire Department is served by 19 stations and, as of Sept. 20th, has responded to 1,868 calls, which is an increase of 2.5% over last year, plus an additional 355 assist calls. The administration division comprises the EA and three additional Admins. In 2024 they launched a public access portal for fire permits, completed the first Annual Fire Service report and updated the Fire Service Establishing and Regulating By-Law. In 2025 that division is looking to plan for Fire Station rebuilds and renovations. The Norland station in particular is in need of major repairs and may instead require a new build to address the deficiencies. They are also looking to complete five building condition assessments to prioritize the 10 year Capital plan, and start to modernize the fire communication systems. The Fire Prevention division focuses on community education and is the 'first line of defense' against fires. In 2024, they reinstated the Smoke Alarm Program, completed a legislated community risk assessment and delivered fire safety lessons to all Grade 1 students in Kawartha Lakes schools. Priorities in 2025 include the creation of a fire tracking system, implementing inspection programming, and modernizing records management to move away from paper records. In 2024 the Training division hired a full-time training instructor and made use of the mobile live training unit to complete live training exercises. In 2025, they will continue firefighter certifications, develop and implement training for ATV's Marine units and High-rise buildings, and recruit two more volunteer classes. The Fire Suppression division includes all the full-time and volunteer firefighters. in 2024, 197 certifications were completed, and 2 full-time firefighter were hired to comply with NFPA guidelines. In 2025, the priority is to train staff in equipping new Fire appartuses and recruiting an additional 60 volunteer recruits.
Fire Services is looking to hire three additional staff in 2025: a District Chief, an Emergency Vehicle Technician, and an Emergency Manager. The total increase to the budget is $1,211,929 for a total budget of $12,558,192.

• BC2024-49
  Moved By Councillor Richardson
  Seconded By Councillor Joyce

  That the Fire Services Departmental Budget presentation be received.

  Carried

5.

New Business

There was no new business.

6.

Other Business

There was no other business.

7.

Adjournment

• BC2024-50
  Moved By Councillor Joyce
  Seconded By Councillor Richardson

  That the Meeting adjourn at 1:00 p.m.

  Carried