2023 Municipal Budget - Join the Conversation

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2023 Budget logo

We want to hear from you! Tell us what your thoughts are on what the Town should do in 2023.

The Budget is one of the most important matters your elected Council will decide, and your input will help Council identify key investments and priorities and balance them with tax and fee changes.

Draft #3 of the 2023 Budget Book is available for review and feedback. View the draft at this link. This will be presented at the Strategic Initiatives Standing Committee on Monday, January 9, 2023.

What is a budget?
It is the most important document that any

We want to hear from you! Tell us what your thoughts are on what the Town should do in 2023.

The Budget is one of the most important matters your elected Council will decide, and your input will help Council identify key investments and priorities and balance them with tax and fee changes.

Draft #3 of the 2023 Budget Book is available for review and feedback. View the draft at this link. This will be presented at the Strategic Initiatives Standing Committee on Monday, January 9, 2023.

What is a budget?
It is the most important document that any government adopts. It is a plan that sets out anticipated spending for the year and where the money will come from. It determines the services the municipality will provide and defines any improvements or expenses related to buildings or resources that will be made that year. A budget is the blueprint that outlines how municipal funds are collected and allocated. The overall budget can be separated into two main components – the Operating Budget and the Capital Budget. All the municipality’s income is invested in programs and services that make Collingwood a very desirable place to live and work and move us toward our Community Vision.

What is an Operating Budget?
The operating budget is the plan for the day-to-day operations of the Town including salaries, legal and insurance costs, and winter control. These expenses are required annually to run the municipality. Every Town program and service is funded through the operating budget, which is designed to ensure dependable delivery of a broad array of programs and services that residents rely on every day. Your municipal government is responsible for providing fire and police services, roads, clean water, parks, arenas, library services, and much more. Many of these services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These services and programs are largely funded by tax dollars and user fees which include charges for recreation programs, water, and wastewater services.

What is a Capital Budget?
The capital budget is the annual plan for the purchase and financing of the Town’s capital assets. Capital assets are projects and expenses where the benefits can be seen over the course of many years, such as roads, bridges, land, buildings, machinery, and equipment. Some examples of capital projects include intersection improvements at Third Street & High Street, the Stewart Road Reservoir, The Black Ash Pumping Station upgrade, and the Sunset Point Park Playground project. The bulk of the capital spending goes to maintaining and fixing existing infrastructure, and is funded through dedicated accounts (similar to savings accounts) that have been built up through taxation and grants.

Building new infrastructure that is needed for keeping up with the growth of the community is funded through charges on the new developments being built.

Balancing the Budget
Each year municipalities are faced with the challenge of balancing the budget, as required by provincial legislation. A municipality can take on debt to pay for large capital acquisitions, however it must ensure that there is enough money to fund day-to-day operations. In order to balance the budget, a careful analysis must be done regarding the level of services required to meet the expectations of the community and the realistic taxation and user fee levels.

Consultation has concluded
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    What are you planning to do with empty lot at 84 Hurontario,Collingwood. I was told town purchased lot when a developer was going to purchase for 22 condo units.

    Rondayvu asked over 1 year ago

    Hi there and thank you for your question.

    This property had been included in numerous conditional sales over the past 4 years however these sales never completed and thus the property was made available for sale again.   The Town sees this as a strategic land acquisition and there are many future uses that will be assessed and evaluated.  It is anticipated that a visioning exercise along with public consultation will occur over the next few years.  In the meantime the BIA has committed some funds to assist the Town in renovating the lands for public use until the future use is determined.

    Thank you,

    Monica

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    Fire Services What non-core services and programs are included in the Fire Services operations and budget for council approval? How many hours are directed towards non-core services and programs? Can they be done by other personnel or at a reduced cost to taxpayers?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    Hi there and thank you for your question.

    The mission of the Collingwood Fire Department is to serve the community by providing protection from fire, life threatening emergencies and dangerous conditions through education, prevention, rescue, suppression and basic life support services.

    The Collingwood Fire Department receives its authority through Provincial legislation and the Fire Chief is ultimately responsible to Town Council for the delivery of fire protection services.

    Local fire departments are responsible for Protection, Prevention and Public Education under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act (FPPA).  To provide these services, staff are also required to be certified as per the Ontario Fire Marshall (OFM).   

    I hope you find this information helpful.

    Thank you,

    Monica

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    Library Services What non-core services and programs are included in the Library Board operations and budget for council approval? How many hours are directed towards non-core services and programs? Can the cost to taxpayers be reduced? Can town staff be moved so that the library can utilize the third floor of the library building for library services instead of building another new library branch?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    Hi there and thank you for your email.

    The mission of Collingwood Public Library is to serve the evolving needs of our community by offering programs and services that embrace information, learning, knowledge, and technology.  The existing budget covers the core services of curating materials, facilitating programs for children, youth, and adults, providing community gathering spaces, and delivering exceptional customer service. The library provides a safe space and some services for barriered members of our community; we support this work through partnerships and donations, and there is no impact to our operating budget. Similarly, some of our core programs, such as Ready, Set, Read!, are facilitated by volunteers, so again there is no impact to our operating budget.

    In 2023, the library budget saw nominal increases due to inflation in natural gas, insurance, and supplies. The one service enhancement in 2023 is the procurement of a new website, which was identified as a need in our strategic plan, and necessary to ensure continued AODA compliance. 

    Also included in the 2023 Budget is a feasibility study for a Multi-Use Recreation Facility, which will also assess the need and location for a Library branch.  At this time the 3rd floor of the library currently houses our Planning and Development,  IT and By-Law Staff.

    Thank you,

    Monica

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    Police Services What non-core services and programs are included in the Police Services operations and budget for council approval? How many hours are directed towards non-core services and programs? Can they be done by civilian or non-uniformed personnel or at a reduced cost to taxpayers?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    Hi there and thank you for your questions.

    I am not sure the exact definition for what is considered to be "non-core" services however there is a contract enhancement to our base service for policing with the OPP.  Included in our contract is a Community Safety Police Officer that attends the high schools, we do receive grant funding to partly offset these costs as well.   The cost for this is equivalent to 1 FTE Constable inclusive of benefits and overhead charges.  Whether this can be completed by a civilian or non-uniformed personnel will need to be addressed to the Police Services Board (PSB) and I will ensure this is followed up on at the next PSB meeting in March.

    Thank you,

    Monica


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    How is the town''s structural operating budget deficit being addressed?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    Hi there and thank you for your question.

    I think you are referring to the "financing gap" on the Asset Management Plan (AMP), but please correct me if I have misinterpreted your question.  The AMP can be found here on our website: 2022 AMP, you will note that there are several options (starting on Page 42) provided to members of Council to assist in reducing this financing gap.  As part of the 2023 budget we have used the following options:

    1) Small increases to the Special Capital Levy; and

    2) Increase the contribution to Reserve Funds.

    Thank you,

    Monica

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    How are the town's unfunded liabilities being addressed?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    Hello and thank you for your question!

    I believe you are referring to the $8 Million liability included on the financial statements for the remediation of the Grain Terminals. This amount has been included in the total accumulated surplus.

    As the future of the Grain Terminals is planned (you can follow along on Engage) amounts to fund any remediation or any other capital works will be brought through the annual budget process.


    Thank you,

    Monica

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    Does the town have a dedicated or designated reserve or reserve fund for the preservation and restoration of the Nottawasaga Island Imperial Lighthouse? How much money has been committed to the preservation and restoration of this historic and iconic landmark through the public budget processes, resolutions, and by-laws of 2022 and previous years? How much money for the preservation and restoration has been included in the 2023 proposed budget?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    There are no reserves or reserve funds set aside specifically for the preservation and restoration of the Nottawasaga Island Lighthouse, nor are there any funds in the budget directed towards that specifically.

    The lighthouse is not owned by the Town.  I believe it is still owned by the Department of Fisheries (DFO) a federal organization - you can find more information here: https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=1059. There is also charitable organization that is trying to raised funds for the restoration and maintenance of it, you can find more information here: https://southgeorgianbay.ca/listing/nottawasaga-lighthouse/.

    Thanks again for your questions,

    Town of Collingwood Budget Team

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    Which capital projects and liabilities will be unfunded at the end of calendar 2022? Will they be fully-funded through the 2023 budget? Will there be any new unfunded capital projects or liabilities in 2023? If so, then which ones and what are the unfunded amounts?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    There will be no capital projects at the end of 2022 or 2023 that will be unfunded.  We are however proposing a new debenture for the Minnesota Storm Sewer Repair Project in 2023.


    Thanks for reaching out,

    Town of Collingwood Budget Team

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    How much has been included in the 2023 arts and culture budget for Doors Open Ontario? Will the heritage committee be participating in Doors Open Ontario? How much has been included in the 2023 library and museum budget for Doors Open Ontario? Will the trails committee be actively participating in Doors Open Ontario? Is it in the 2023 budget for town hall to be open for Doors Open Ontario?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    At this time there are no funds allocated to the Doors Open in the proposed 2023 Draft #3 budget in either the Heritage Committee, PRC or Library Budgets.  

    The PRC division is going through a master plan refresh in 2023 so it is possible that the review may determine that an event like this should be included.  

    Thanks again for reaching out.

    Town of Collingwood Budget Team

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    How much has been included in the 2023 draft budget for the town to removed impacted soils?

    blue bay sun rise asked over 1 year ago

    Hello and thank you for your question.  

    Ontario’s new On-Site and Excess Soil Management Regulation (O. Reg. 406/19) , made under the Environmental Protection Act, lays down a framework for the better management and reuse of excess soils excavated from a project. Implementation of some parts of the regulation is delayed until January 2023. In light of the new Regulation, the Town will need to understand the quality and quantity of excess soil for various Town construction and maintenance activities (varying from road construction, ditching, catchbasin maintenance, and service installations), and account for the time and cost of completing any necessary soil sampling and analyses. Most importantly, construction contracts will need to clearly address these responsibilities relating to excess soil management, so modifications to the standard contract templates will also be required.

     

    The Town will set aside $40,000 to get assistance with implementing the new regulations, and individual construction contracts will have a percentage of the total cost of the project (on a case by case basis) for removal of contaminated soil, when necessary. 


    Thank you

    Stephanie Ottewell