Budget and Finances

2018 Approved budget

• 2018 Highlights Book
• 2018 Operating Budget Book
• 2018 Capital Budget Book

2017 Approved budget

• 2017 Highlights Book
• 2017 Operating Budget Book
• 2017 Capital Budget Book

At its meeting on June 24, 2019, Council approved the following directions for the drafting of the 2020 Budget:

• That the Draft 2020 Operating Budget reflect an estimated 1.75% all-inclusive (Municipal, Education, Sanitary Sewer Surcharge) increase for general Operating Budget impacts.
• That the Draft 2020 Operating Budget reflect an additional 0.59% all-inclusive budget provision for support to the capital program comprised of:

1. 1. A budget provision of $620,000 (0.36%) for Stormwater Protection,
   2. An increase in the Sewer Surcharge rate to provide the equivalent of $350,000 (0.23%) in Sanitary Sewer revenues, and

• That the revised Tax Ratio Reduction Program continues for the 2020 Draft Budget and reflects reductions:

1. 1. to the Commercial and Industrial Class Tax Ratios but not the Multiresidential Class, and
   2. at the reduced rate established through the 2016 Budget process.

• That the increase in the Police Services portion of the draft 2020 Operating Budget reflect no more than the Operating portion of Net Tax Levy increase (estimated to be 2.78%), and any increase in the net Police Services budget beyond the estimated Operating Portion of the Net Tax Levy increase be addressed by Council as part of the detailed 2020 Budget deliberations to occur in November of 2019.
• That Council commit, in principle, to leveraging the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program federal and provincial funding, subject to annual budget approvals, by funding the municipal share of the projects estimated to be approximately $22 million over the next eight years, or an average of $2.75 million per year, to maximize the available grants; and
• Unless new, sustainable funding becomes available from another level of government or outside source, no new services are to be added to our municipal tax base for the 2020 budget.

Housing

• More affordable housing exploring different models i.e., tiny homes, more portable rent subsidies identifying vacant city land for housing, made developers include affordable housing in new developments
• Further investment in rent subsidies is highly recommended
• Reduce barriers (zoning bylaws) to accessory unites throughout the whole city (not just downtown core)
• Get rid of off-street parking minimums for both residential and commercial properties 
• New stricter enforcement of housing bylaws reporting rental properties and landlord/tenant relationships, particularly in regards to upkeep of student / student-oriented residences
• Some better ways of creating safer housing for students (absentee landlords)
• More affordable housing and a variety of tenure types - to do this need incentives for developers to do this consistently
• Co-op housing needed here and more than just 3 projects we have

Economic development

• Jobs that play living wage
• City becomes a living wage employer and encourage suppliers and third-party contractors to do the same
• Less precarious opportunities and more solid jobs
• More engagement for start ups at City of Peterborough
• Better support of social enterprise
• More services for local business (or promotion of them) other than membership-based services
• Competition sensitivity - push repeaters to other areas of town ward to help develop these neighbourhoods (e.g., limit of coffee shops, or green stores or art stores) because saturation hurts businesses
• Adopt social procurement policy

Other

• Increase development charges (Schedule 1 of Official Plan) in peripheral greenfield areas
• Develop fees/taxes for large parking areas
• Community fund from sale of PDI, keep as capital fund to support energy, local efficiency and innovation and climate change actions
• Align development charges, credits, calculations with environmental elements in the development of the site (e.g. solar panels, energy efficiency)
• Do a budget analysis through various lenses - equity, gender, sustainability, who does this benefit, local/regional vs global support/impact
• City-led advocacy at the provincial level for issues like Basic Income
• More infill of intensification efforts over greenfield development - Town Ward is the place for the intensification
• Kitchen/compost pickup

Vision for the future

• More boat slips at the little lake, big boats are bypassing the marina as it is full, so they don’t stop and spend money
• Maintain democratic practice
• Don’t get lured into trying to compete with sharply growing cities e.g., Milton and Barrie
• Build around transit hub (spruce it up) make it something that town ward can be proud of
• Add another campus downtown/town ward, good for business
• HOV lanes - pedestrian days on some stress not just during events
• Better integration of all transportation (water, 2-wheel, 2 leg, 4 wheel)
• More green pathways around town

Parks/green space

• Urban gardens, fruit trees, raspberry bushes maybe some community bee hives with the honey donated to community meal programs or food banks
• Shift funds from local parks study to developing or explained master plans for key, large, natural parks
• Greater support for Nourish’s work in the City and County’s 47 gardens
• Continue to fund the local parks study and include planning for late natural areas - also be sure to finalize the Natural Heritage Strategy and ensure the Parks Master Plan takes into consideration the NHS
• Encourage residents to use parks, green space
• The downtown Jackson Creek area is in desperate need of green space and safe places for everyone to get out and enjoy the outdoors
• Start planning for what could be done with churches now
• Support the adoption of the new Parks and Open Space Master Plan and emphasize/support of equitable distribution of green spaces in all neighbourhoods (low and high income) = spatial equity
• Support green walls and roofs on businesses in the downtown to help mitigate against air pollution
• Support planting more native trees in the downtown core
• Depave some of the parking lots and plant more trees
• Support the effort to “open up” Jackson Creek in areas where it is “built over”

The arts

• Individual artist grants (judged by actual artists)
• Any new wall murals should be done by local artists
• Street pianos on some parks along the water
• Public art projects should be more varied than mural after mural - we don’t have many mural artists, but do we have a lot of poets!

Youth

• Would recommend restructuring the Peterborough Youth Council to focus on better promotion of the group, meaningful involvement of the participating students in tangible projects, and with more direct communication with City Council/or connects youth services
• Would further recommend investment in better promotion of youth services/supports directly to schools and locations with high youth populations, of awareness of youth services provided is often low
• Need to be encouraged to participate - try visiting schools and classes to listen to them
• More youth friendly spaces (or welcoming ones at least)
• Youth friendly business
• What about actually using the Youth Council as an advisory body and have them give youth recommendations on issues before Council - this group should be used more efficiently instead of planning parades
• How could this group also brome more representative of al of our youth - include funds in the budget to do more youth engagement, especially to involve vulnerable youth in decision making

Ideas for Town Ward

• Tear up all contracts to perform, dust moving, divert the money to provide taxi rides for people being discharged from emergency department midnight to 7 a.m. at PRHC.
• Plant trees, insulate roots, install double glazing
• Install whitefish yellow spectrum LED lightning
• Support Mitsubishi outlander PHE vehicle
• Fair trade and coffee and cocoa procurement contracts
• Fix and maintain sidewalks, especially in Town Ward outside downtown, many are unsafe with people with visual impairments
• Provide a location for a safe consumption site

Transportation

• Transit route redesign/length adjustments would be recommended as current route designs were founded on having all busses arrive/leave at he same time, which rarely works out in practice and leads to large scale delays in the busses
• Relying on ptbo transit twitter is an insufficient method of keeping aware of transit delays
• Highly recommend expanding peak time service
• Sunday transit service should be extended to math the Saturday schedule - it is exceptionally inconvenient having the last outbound Sunday transit trip occurs at 6:40
• More frequent Go bus service, if this is do-able at the municipal level
• Shift from hub and spoke system to grid routs for busses, more frequent service (with such infrequent service only those who have to use the bus will do so
• Explore feasibility of electric busses
• Consistent (sustained) funding to expand
• Do an active transportation master plan so that walking and cycling routes are logically thought and consistently budgeted for
• Ensure the sidewalk policy and strategic plan are consistently implemented and budgeted for adequately every year
• Awesome complete street on George street, very overdue, find more places in the City to do this - there are extremely long stretches of Lansdowne Street that need safe places to cross
• More cohesiveness among all forms - transit, cycling walking etc.
• More transit service – 40-minute rotation is not helpful for employment or access to services
• Work to reduce the stigma around those that do use transit
• Liven up the hub, it’s seen as an eye sore
• Youth pricing
• Bike racks on busses
• Keep busses going into 333 hedonics at right for safety until 11 - many seniors live there who are ill 

Financial reports

• 2017 Financial Report
• 2016 Financial Report
• 2015 Financial Report

Public sector salary disclosure

• 2018 Record of Employee's Salaries and Benefits
• 2017 Record of Employee's Salaries and Benefits
• 2016 Record of Employee's Salaries and Benefits
• 2015 Record of Employee's Salaries and Benefits