Meeting: Milton Budget Committee Date: August 24, 2009
This was the Budget Call meeting to set guidelines for preparation of the 2010 Budget. Staff proposed a tax increase of about 4.5%.
Mayor Krantz said that councillors should not get into details tonight. Since he has said that in the past on budget night, I wonder when he thinks it would be appropriate.
In the only discussion of detail, Scherer wanted a review of strategy and budget for transit while Mowbray suggested increasing user fees and consideration of out-sourcing where possible.
Krantz spoke in favour of a tax increase near the rate of inflation. Scherer suggested targeting a lower tax increase to force staff and Council to critically review spending proposals. Schau again spoke in favour of higher tax increases in general.
Scherer moved a motion to direct staff to a tax increase in the range of zero to 2.5%. The motion failed as Lee, Mowbray, Lunau, Day, Nelson and Schau opposed it.
Budget Call ends. Staff however deserve their award fo budget preparation but I am sure there will be no awards for Council's budget work.
Submitted by Gary Ellis
Meeting: Milton Council Date: August 24, 2009
Councillor Mowbray was on the agenda with a Notice of Motion opposing the Region's suggested Natural Heritage System designation on virtually all Halton rural lands, and asking that the item be on the next Milton Council agenda. Lieven Gevaert spoke in support of Mowbray's motion and stated that the Halton Federation of Agriculture also opposed the suggested NHS designation.
Councillor Lee did not seem concerned about NHS and thinks that no decisions on NHS will be made by the Region until ROPA 38 is released and reviewed. Krantz and Best spoke against the suggested NHS designation. Penman and Planner Mann didn't like the NHS designation applied to Greenbelt areas. Penman said the NHS proposal looked like an "Oakvillization of rural Halton".
The vote was unanimous in support of Mowbray's motion to put NHS on the September 28 Milton Council agenda.
The current Region schedule is to release ROPA 38 on September 24 and present it to the Region PPW Committee and Milton staff? on September 30.
Submitted by Gary Ellis
Meeting: Milton Budget Committee Date: July 20, 2009
Treasurer Linda Leeds made a presentation of background and priorities for the 2010 Operating and Capital Budgets. There was one citizen presentation. Councillor Mowbray made the good point that historical numbers for previous years should also include an estimate for the current year. Councillor Sherer asked if he should pose his budget questions at this meeting and Acting Chair Best suggested he wait for the next meeting or discuss them with staff.
Leeds and staff have made great progress over the years in improving the process and the data available to councillors and the public. Unfortunately the councillors are still doing things the same old way and not taking advantage of that improved process. Perhaps at the next meeting they will show an interest/ability in guiding spending and not simply provide a target for a tax increase.
Maybe?
Written budget submissions before August 7 will be included with Budget Call. Budget Call will be on the Council agenda of August 24.
Councillor Day was present, once again dodging the penalty for missing 3 meetings in a row.
Submitted by Gary Ellis
Meeting: Region Planning & Public Works Committee July 8, 2009
There were 2 items on the agenda that may be of interest to rural residents because of their possible connection to the proposed Natural Heritage System.
About 16 years ago, Region planners drew some lines on a map to designate a park at Burlington beach. The long term goal was to buy all 161 properties within the park designation. 128 have been purchased. The remaining 33 are further from the beach and do not want to be purchased. Staff commented that "the park has been designated and should be in public ownership". The purchase program marches on but some residents, and some councillors, are questioning the purchase strategy for the remaining properties. This issue will be included in a plan review.
The meeting was going long, so I couldn’t stay to hear any discussion of the Region’s Greenland Securement Strategy (Implementation Guidelines). The related document lists 23 of Halton’s “partners” in acquiring land – some private like the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and many government run and funded by our tax dollars. It notes that 11,306 acres are now secured in public control. “Only 5.8% of the region has achieved environmental long tem protection” - meaning out of private control. With that statement it sounds like the Region and partners will only be satisfied when all greenlands are under public ownership.
I believe that the 2 items are related to the Natural Heritage System Designation – Burlington Beach Park as a prototype and the Greenlands Securement Strategy as the vehicle to acquire designated rural land.
Is the objective 100% state ownership with state quotas for state farms? That has failed elsewhere.
Where are these initiatives coming from? It certainly is not the voters since the vast majority would not even be aware of the programs. To my knowledge we have not elected representatives of an Ontario Communist Party. Could it be a conspiracy of comrades in the Planning fraternity? And where are the representatives that we elected to work on our behalf, and certainly not with a mandate for state ownership?
Submitted by Gary Ellis
Meeting: Region Council
Date: June 24, 2009
The agenda topic was Sustainable Halton but the consensus was already set for the choice of 3 options for Halton growth. The real subject was the topic of Natural Heritage Designation that is buried in Sustainable Halton.
There were 2 teams of delegations, both giving the same presentations as at the PPW Committee a week before. The pro-Designation team consisted of Oakville Green, Burlington Green, PERL, the star performer Sarah Harmer, and their Councillors Elgar and Burton. The no-designation team consisted of 4 farmers who should have been cutting hay in stead of defending their property rights.
The 2 teams agreed that Halton agriculture was important. The pro-designation team would save agriculture by controlling farm lands with environmental designations. The no-designation team would save agriculture by allowing it the freedom to operate while existing environmental controls were adequate.
Almost all the questions were from Councillors Elgar and Burton whose mission seemed to be to bully and discredit the no-designation team on behalf of their green constituents. No councillor chose to support the no-designation team and property rights.
The Natural Heritage Designation issue is not over. It is one of the items that will be reviewed over the next months, to be finalized later in the year. Rural folks have a tough job ahead, fighting the Halton greens, their pet councillors, and an anti-rural bias at the Province. Common sense may not prevail without a major rural uprising.
Submitted by Gary Ellis
Meeting: Special Milton Council
Date: June 22, 2009
Council met to consider the Milton response to Sustainable Halton and the 2009 Development Charges proposal.
Sustainable Halton:
A preferred plan, with the bulk of residential and employment growth in Milton (plan 2c), was approved;
Delegations by Orlando Corp. and Glenn Schnarr & Associates called for an additional allotment of over 1000 acres of rural greenland to be set aside for future employment development;
A representative of the Roman Catholic diocese asked for council’s continued support for the diocese’s plans for a cemetery as part of the development in the southern lands;
A representative of the Willis family asked council to endorse a resolution supporting the family’s request that their farms along Fifth Line be designated for future residential development; the current plan shows these lands as remaining farmland. Council indicated they supported the Willis request, but, with the exception of Cllr. Nelson, felt it was inappropriate at this time to pass such a resolution;
A delegation from York/Trafalgar presented their assessment of the great potential that exists for employment development along the Trafalgar Road corridor. It was suggested that significant opportunities were available to council and staff to secure employment industries other than warehousing and logistics support.
The enhancement of Halton’s Natural Heritage System was opposed by council because it would restrict farmlands available for employment development use.
Submitted by Mike Grimwood
Members of the MRRA board review council and committee agendas on a weekly basis for items and issues that affect rural Milton residents. When there is a meeting in which there are such items or issues, a board member, or members, will attend the meeting to monitor - listen and observe and assess how council and staff deal with the matter, then file a report here.
In some cases, the MRRA may also delegate to the council or committee meeting to ensure that the rural voice is expressed on a matter of signifigance to the rural community.
MRRA members are encouraged to use the Join_Feedback link to let the board know if there is an item of particular interest at council or committee which the member believes should be monitored by the MRRA.
Links provides a link to the Milton town website; meetings and agendas are accessed through the council calendar.
Periodically, Regional meetings are also monitored or delegated to, and reported on.
Corporation of the Town of Milton - 2010
June
At the Administration and Planning Cttee. meeting, a public meeting was held in regard to the proposed development of Milton Heights. Due to land use restrictions due to environmental issues, the landowners' group is planning for densities, in the main, of 40 units per net hectare, as opposed to the Corporation's plan of 15,. with 22 units per net hectare nearer to the Escarpment. It would appear though that the total number of units (some 750) to be developed remains unchanged. Cllr. Scherer requested staff to make a very close review of the landowners' consultant's plans, given the time, energy and resources paid for by taxpayers in establishing the 15 units per hectare criterion.
Residents of Milton Heights, along the south side of 3rd Sideroad, questioned the viability of retaining their residential properties as development described by the residents as a "strip mall" is being planned for the north side. The Corporation indicated it did not see this as an issue of concern.
Strong concerns were raised by residents and Cllr. Lunau about the consultant's contention that weekday traffic studies were sufficient to assess traffic flows, and weekend traffic studies were superfluous. Apparently, the consultants believe that weekday traffic studies would accommodate weekend variances, notwithstanding the weekend tourist and ski traffic to Kelso and Country Heritage Park.
Strong concerns were raised about heavy volumes of traffic from the realigned Tremaine along 3rd Sideroad as residents indicated they felt this was not adequately addressed by the consultant's report.
At the Budget Cttee meeting, an overview of issues to be addressed in 2011 was presented (available on the Corporation's website). Delegations differed on how to treat the public fund-raising for an expanded Milton hospital - one argued that funding should not be included in the municipal tax budget, but treated separately since hospitals fall under provincial jurisdiction. Another delegate argued that hospital funding should be included in the tax budget so that it must compete with other Town capital projects for funding, reducing the tax burden which could arise from treating the hospital as a separate capital and unique tax item.
Public comments will be accepted by the Corporation up to July 2, 2010.
May
At Council on May 17, Mayor Krantz invoked, for one of the very few times in his tenure, his authority as chair to reject a Notice of Motion, by Cllr. Day . Cllr. Day had requested Council consider imposing a requirement that voters in the upcoming municipal election must sign a 'loyalty card' before being allowed to vote. Mayor Krantz ruled that imposing this requirement was outside of the legislated authority of Council (viz The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, guaranteeing the right to vote, is federal legislation and Council does not have the authority to infringe on federal prerogatives).
At the same meeting, a presentation was made in regard to the expansion of Milton District Hospital. The public financial participation in this expansion is 10% of the building costs, plus all equipment costs; possibly $60 Million in total. Council will consider a special municipal tax levy at its June 28th meeting.
Council approved a 2% across-the-board salary increase for non-union staff (Consumer Price Index 1.4% April 2009 to April 2010) following a 2.5% increase in 2009 and 3% increase in 2008. It was noted in a delegation to Council that municipal taxes are the third largest contributor to the annual rise in the Bank of Canada's core inflation index ; oil companies and auto insurance companies took 1st and 2nd place, putting the Town in good company. Town staff noted that the Town was being competitive in salary increases; some councillors had expressed the worry that staff would leave for employment in other municipalities if the 2% increase was not approved.
Region of Halton - 2010
