Municipality of Chatham-Kent Council passed the 2021 Budget with a 2.4% tax increase on Wednesday night, February 3, 2021, after four nights of deliberations.
The originally proposed tax hike from administration had been 3.96%, before deliberations took place.
North Kent Councillor Joe Faas made a motion while Council remained in budget committee to approve the budget on Wednesday. After adjourning budget committee and moving into open session, Council approved the budget by a vote of 10-8.
In favour, were councillors Marjorie Crew, Joe Faas, Aaron Hall, Melissa Harrigan, Karen Kirkwood-Whyte, Mary Clare Latimer, Brock McGregor, Carmen McGregor, Trevor Thompson and Mayor Darrin Canniff.
Not in favour were councillors Mark Authier, Michael Bondy, Anthony Ceccacci, Amy Finn, Jamie McGrail, Steve Pinsonneault, Doug Sulman and John Wright.
During the virtual deliberations on Wednesday, Councillor Pinsonneault entered a successful motion for $300,000 to be removed from the base budget at staff’s discretion and with no reduction to current services.
“Every year we have surpluses,” Pinsonneault said.
“This is doable.”
After Pinsonneault’s motion was approved, Mayor Canniff made a successful motion for the $300,000 from Pinsonneault’s motion come from strategic reserve for 2021, with administration coming back in the fall of this year with permanent savings found through service reviews.
Don Shropshire, the chief administrative officer in Chatham-Kent, said economic uncertainties and the COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges for the 2021 budget.
“This is likely or arguably the most challenging budget deliberations we’ve had in over 10 years,” Shropshire said.
Gord Quinton, the chief financial officer in Chatham-Kent, said he encourages Council to bring motions throughout the year for service reviews to take place in order to look for efficiencies.
Quinton added a report is expected to come before Council in March, with details about the Province of Ontario offering 60% funding for an independent review on Municipal operations.
Quinton said Council moving to a multi-year-budget approach in the future will also allow staff time to be better utilized to look for even more efficiencies.
“We are in the middle of a pandemic,” Quinton said.
“There were only seven items ranked as should do… the rest were mandatory. This is why Council has found it so tough.”
Quinton added: “There really is no fluff in this budget.”
Throughout the four nights of budget deliberations a number of motions were approved, resulting in items being cut from the originally proposed budget, including:
– Councillor Harrigan moved to remove $200,000 from the proposed increase for underground infrastructure.
– Councillor Ceccacci moved the amount of $75,000 for a tree replacement program to a two year pilot program in the amount of $150,000 and be funded from the Emerald Ash Boer reserve.
– Councillor Ceccacci moved to reduce the line for winter control salt materials from $1250,000 to $62,500 for this year and for the next three years.
– Councillor Harrigan moved to increase the 2021 estimated investment income increase from $300,000 to $1-million.
– Councillor Pinsonneault moved to remove a total of $162,400 from the strategic development reserve and a total of $162,400 from the facility replacement reserve.
– Councillor Latimer moved to change the budget line for physician recruitment to a two-year supplementary item for $200,000, which will be funded from reserves.
– Mayor Canniff moved to trim a budget line for lifecycle inflation, from 1.5% to 1%, which resulted in a savings of over $295,000, from $887,100 to $594,100.
– Councillor Hall moved to remove $475,000 from the proposed increase for underground infrastructure.
Night four of deliberations can be seen, below:
More details about Chatham-Kent’s 2021 Budget can be found, here.
