Budget - Public Works

Public Works delivers year-round, front-line services that keep streets safe and neighbourhoods functioning. In winter, we provide plowing, sanding/salting, and sidewalk/active-transportation clearing to Council-approved service levels, using AVL-equipped units, brine calibration, and route optimization to balance safety, cost, and environmental impact. Waste collection provides weekly curbside pickup with a focus on reliability, contamination reduction, and customer service—coordinating closely with diversion programs and contractor oversight to ensure performance and accountability. Resident communications (advisories, storm updates, collection changes) are timed to weather events and holidays to minimize disruption.

Through the warmer months, we deliver road surface and shoulder maintenance, pothole and patching programs, line painting, traffic control upkeep, and sidewalk repairs—prioritized by risk, condition data, and work order history. Urban forestry manages street and park trees across their lifecycle: planting for canopy growth, proactive pruning for clearance and safety, pest/disease monitoring, and rapid response to storm damage. Work is sequenced with capital resurfacing and utility cuts to avoid rework, and with events scheduling to limit lane and sidewalk conflicts.

Underground services maintenance focuses on the municipal right-of-way: catch basin and storm inlet cleaning, minor storm sewer repairs, hydrant flushing and valve exercising (where applicable), and utility locates—reducing flood risk and supporting water system reliability. Cross-cutting priorities include worker and public safety, climate adaptation (salt optimization, shade canopy, storm readiness), and efficient fleet utilization.

Time, waste collection misses per 1,000 stops, tree work completion rates, and storm inlet cleaning coverage—so Council and residents can see performance trends, understand pressures (weather severity, material costs, staffing), and trust that core services remain dependable and responsive.

Traditionally, surplus funds for the Winter Control activity have been transferred to a Winter Control Reserve to be used in a year when the City experiences severe weather events. The balance of the reserve is $728,000 and represents approximately 18.5% of the 2026 budgeted winter control expense of $4 million.

The Net Requirement for the Division is budgeted to increase 5.3% and is the result of approved salary and benefits costs, and increased fuel costs.

Recommendation

That any unused portion of the 2026 Winter Control Budget that may exist at year-end be transferred to the Winter Control Reserve, subject to the overall year-end position and, that if actual Winter Control costs exceed the 2026 Budget, funds may be drawn from the Winter Control Reserve.

Overview - Operating Budget