After three straight nights of budget meetings capped by a six-hour marathon Thursday, city council approved the roughly $593 million Greater Sudbury budget with a property tax hike of 3.6 per cent.
The final increase was something of a surprise, considering councillors had told staff they wanted no more than a 3.5 per cent hike. And after Wednesday, they had the increase down to 3.3 and seemed intent on getting to three per cent.
Four councillors voted against the budget – Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti, Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini, Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer and Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc.
After the meeting, Sizer said he was upset council had exceeded its own limit of 3.5 per cent, but wanted to wait until Friday before commenting.
But Mayor Brian Bigger said the budget include a hefty increase for improving the city's road network, something taxpayers have made clear is their top priority.
“Residents want us to fix the roads,” he said Thursday.
And in a news release after the budget was passed, Bigger said council balanced the need to keep taxes affordable while still spending money to fix infrastructure.
“We are making strategic investments in roads and other infrastructure, enhancing city services such as transit and improving quality of life. I want to thank members of the public who provided their feedback and members of council and city staff for the hard work throughout the budget process.”
The 3.6 per cent increase for a home worth $230,000 translates into $105 added to the annual property tax bill, the city said, or $9 more per month. A user fee increase of 7.4 per cent for water/wastewater was also approved, or $7.35 more per month for the average homeowner who uses 200 cubic metres of water per year.
Councillors also included changes to Sudbury Transit, including earlier start times in the morning for people who work early, and boosting Sunday service to make it the same as Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The changes are being treated as a pilot project for the next 18 months, when they will evaluate the impact on ridership and decide whether to make the changes permanent.
“We've talked about taking a leap of faith ... to get more bums in seats,” said Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh. “If it doesn't work out, we're not worse off.”
In addition to the schedule changes, bus transfers will be good for 90 minutes without restrictions, and monthly bus passes will no longer require photo ID, so more than one person can use them. The changes come into effect at the end of August.
Councillors also approved $149,213 in operating funds for the Place des Arts.
Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland said that's much less than the original $260,000 they asked for. They revised their request to the bare essentials, he said.
“It's not ideal, but it's a workable minimum,” McCausland said. “It's a small price to pay.”
But Sizer said the city agreed to consider operational funds for the centre after it was built, not before.
“They haven't even open the doors,” he said. “Why are they asking for operating dollars before they open the doors?
“It's a great project, but I don't think we should be advancing operational dollars before they open the doors.”
But Bigger said the Place des Arts has done impressive work making the project a reality and the city should support them.
“They are an example for other organizations,” he said.
And Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said it's important to remember the facility isn't just for francophones.
“It's for everyone in this city,” she said. “It's not exclusive.”
Other budget highlights:
-- Summer road maintenance, including $0.5 million for arterial and rural roads that enhance user quality and safety, and an additional $1 million for winter control ($17 million in 2018 to $18.5 million in 2019).
-- $560,000 in 2019 and an annual $460,000 investment in Community Improvement Plans (CIPs) for the next nine years for downtown Sudbury to fund business improvement projects. “This compliments several other town centre CIP projects already in progress or complete in surrounding communities, such as the Capreol Waterfront improvements,” the city said in the news release.
-- $46.6 million invested in road construction, including funding for the Maley Drive Extension Project and Municipal Road 35.
-- $15.6 million for several bridge and culvert rehabilitation projects throughout the community.
-- $4.3 million for recreation assets, including upgrades to the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre and the Dowling Leisure Centre.
-- $3.2 million for projects at the Azilda and Sudbury landfill sites to enable the City to responsibly dispose and divert waste, and protect the environment around the sites.
-- An additional $3.9 million investment is being made to address both arterial and rural road quality improvements.
