2024 Budget - Public Works

The Public Works Division is responsible for delivering a wide range of services including winter control, pavement maintenance and cleaning, and forestry maintenance. Staff provide fleet repair and maintenance services seven days a week on a 24-hour basis for all client groups. Emergency repairs are made on demand to ensure the performance of fleet units for essential services. 

Solid waste collection, while it is performed by Public Works staff, is shown in the budget under the Environmental Services Division to better reflect its funding from the Waste Management Reserve Fund. 

Administrative costs are funded through other activities based on an overhead percentage charged on direct Public Works labour incurred. These activities include Public Works activities, other City divisions’ activities, as well as work performed for outside customers. 

Equipment costs are charged directly to activities as utilized by applying an hourly rate. These are, in effect, internal rental rates, which offset the repair, maintenance and replacement costs of the equipment. 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 $478,000 and represents approximately 10.5% of the 2024 budgeted winter control expense of $4.8 million. 

The Net Requirement for the Division is budgeted to increase 3.8% and is the result of approved salary and benefits costs, market increases in material costs, internal equipment costs at Public Works and 8.53 Full-Time Equivalents (FTE) for new positions. With approval of Report IPSPW23-007 two positions were approved, a Public Works Coordinator and Public Works Supervisor. In order to meet expanded servicing and the new Source Separated Organics (SSO) program requirements 5 FTEs for Public Works Sanitation – Operators SSO positions are needed. This level of staffing requirement is based on the RouteSmart modelling. To support the in-house snow removal identified in Report MOPW23-001 1.53 FTEs for Public Works Operator 6 positions are required.

2024 Overview

Capital budget

Projects in the Public Works Capital Budget for 2024 include the following: Snow Plowing Equipment; Fleet Replacement and Equipment; Sidewalk Reconstruction; Municipal Snow Storage Facility Environmental Compliance Approval and Compliance; Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan; and Tree Planting Program.

The full budget information is available in the Draft 2024 Budget book.