City council is set to ratify the 2024 budget and discuss a variety of issues, including new buses, city accessibility and emergency response plans, at Monday’s council meeting.
For the first time in months, city politicians will meet in the council chamber at the Orillia City Centre following extensive renovations carried out this year. The meeting is set to begin at 1 p.m., and will also be streamed on the city’s YouTube channel and Rogers TV.
After discussions in November, the draft 2024 budget comes forward with a tax levy increase of 1.71 per cent, equal to an additional $67 per year for the average home, or $22 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
The tax levy requirement has grown by $2.214 million for 2024, which is partially offset by an estimated $1 million in new home and business property taxation, resulting in an additional levy requirement of $1.214 million, or 1.71 per cent.
The bulk of the increase comes from external service providers, like the County of Simcoe and the OPP, city staff report, with an additional $531,000 going to the OPP and an additional $887,000 going to the county for 2024.
Aside from ratifying the budget during a special meeting, a variety of matters are set for discussion at a regular meeting of council Monday.
New council chamber
Mayor Don McIsaac will acknowledge those who worked on the renovations for the updated, fully accessible council chamber, and Rama First Nation Coun. Dillon Bickell will read a land acknowledgement and perform a smudging ceremony to officially open the renovated space.
City accessibility plan and emergency response plan
City council will consider adopting the 2023-28 accessibility plan.
Carried out by city staff and the accessibility advisory committee, with input from the community, the guiding document aims to make Orillia a more accessible community by removing barriers from municipal facilities.
The city has also recommended amendments to its emergency response plan, including changes to its committee structure, implementing an incident management system into the plan, and adding two new activation levels for the emergency operations centre.
City staff have recommended reducing the emergency management program committee from 15 members to six members, which include the CAO, mayor, fire chief and three senior city staff members, a change that is “more suitable to the scope of the committee,” staff said in a report.
Staff have recommended increasing the number of activation levels at the emergency operations centre from one to three, in order to provide more flexibility for situations at hand, which include the following:
- Enhanced notification, where the emergency control group members are advised there may be an emergency and to prepare themselves to go to the centre;
- Partial notification, where only the members required are called to attend the centre; and
- Full notification, where all members of the emergency control group are required to attend the centre.
Shade structure for Kiwanis Skate Park
A report brought forward by Coun. David Campbell will request council’s support for a 20-by-20-foot shade structure at the Kiwanis Skate Park in Veterans’ Memorial Park.
The $15,500 cost for the structure will be donated by the Kiwanis Club of Orillia and by Orillia skateboarders.
Previous studies have indicated if the aging skate park is to remain in its current location, a variety of upgrades will be required, including the addition of a shade structure.
New transit bus
$177,000 in additional funds are required to purchase a conventional diesel transit bus.
In the 2023 budget, $1.32 million was approved for the purchase of two new buses to replace ones in service since 2010, but the final quote received in November arrived at $655,000 above the budgeted amount.
A city staff report cites inflation rates and the COVID-19 pandemic as primary causes of the increased price for the buses.
City staff have moved forward on purchasing one additional bus but will require another $177,000 from the transit asset management reserve fund to purchase the second.
The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program will cover the remaining $478,000.
Athlete of the Year
The Athlete of the Year Award has been overseen by the city since its inception in 1952, but council will consider transferring its stewardship to the Orillia Sport Council.
After a decline in interest over the years, the city granted a one-year trial to the sport council to oversee the award in 2023, successfully bringing renewed interest in the award over the past year.
Given that success, city staff have recommended the sport council permanently oversee the award.
Single parking space on Monarch Drive
Councillors Jay Fallis and Jeff Czetwerzuk have brought forward a request to eliminate a single parking space on the southeast side of Monarch Drive.
A single home on the hill has been excluded from the area’s no-parking zone, which Fallis and Czetwerzuk hope to rectify following resident complaints about visibility while leaving their property.
The two councillors hope to waive a city policy requiring a neighbourhood petition demonstrating support for the change.
In January, residents put forward a petition for a larger no-parking zone in the area, which included the property in question, and Fallis and Czetwerzuk believe the neighbourhood would support the elimination of the single parking space obstructing the resident’s sightline.
Changes to council committees
Council will consider dissolving the city’s economic development committee, farmers’ market advisory committee, Orillia sunshine youth senate, and town and gown committee as part of broader proposed updates to the city’s processes for advisory committees.
Barring updates to meeting procedures and appointments, no changes will come to the city’s mandatory advisory committees, which include the accessibility advisory committee, the municipal heritage committee, and the waste management advisory committee.
The report proposes, at the beginning of each term, council undertake a review to determine its committee needs.
Due to a difficulty getting residents involved, a lack of pertinent issues in a number of years, and other reasons, staff have recommended dissolving the four committees listed above.
Regarding membership, Orillia has historically appointed committee members for three-year terms, and the new structure proposes four-year terms that expire with the term of council.
Grant policy waiver
Coun. Tim Lauer and McIsaac are requesting council’s support to waive a grant committee policy against providing grants for school boards and sporting events.
The two council members hope to approve a $1,500 grant from the committee’s budget for the Simcoe County Elementary Athletic Council to use the Rotary Place for wrestling tournaments in April 2024.
Council has directly approved funding for wrestling tournaments in the past, which bring an average of 400 students and more than $4,200 in concession stand revenue to the city.
Council inquiries
Coun. Ralph Cipolla and Fallis will request council’s support to assess potential grant opportunities for undertaking a study on the feasibility of reusing waste materials to create construction products.
Click here to read the 220-page agenda for the regular meeting of council.
