CommunityNews N O R T H
W E L L I N G T O N
Volume 53 Issue 08
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Pulling together - Minto firefighters retained their title in the second annual Darren’s Day fire truck pull challenge with the Wellington OPP on Feb. 17. The Darren’s Day Family Day event, held in honour of Palmerston resident Darren More who was killed in an automobile accident involving an impaired driver, drew a large crowd to the Palmerston and District Community Centre for events that included a breakfast by Minto Fire and lunch put on by the Palmerston Lions Club, as well as a snow pitch tournament, euchre and outdoor family games. Proceeds from the event go to Guelph Wellington Crime Stoppers and local minor sports. More photos on page 7. Photo by Patrick Raftis
Cork concerned with county debtload over coming decade MIKE ROBINSON REPORTER KENILWORTH - Ward 3 county councillor Campbell Cork is concerned about Wellington County’s growing debt. In his Feb. 10 update to Wellington North councillors, Cork stated, “The big news was the budget, of course, and there is lots of good stuff in the budget such as enhanced garbage and recycling collection.” He also noted planned improvements at Wellington Terrance and a proposed new Arthur works garage. “We are spending millions this year to make sure our very own Riverstown Landfill site continues to operate safely for the next 20-plus years,” Cork stated. He added Wellington County is putting $400 million into its aging infrastructure, noting, “It’s a pretty big ticket item.” Ride Well update
Cork said Ride Well, the county’s Uber-like ride sharing program, is picking up speed. “It’s worth remembering that Ride Well is cheaper than Uber,” Cork noted. “One sticking point is that the Ride Well cars cannot go into the City of Guelph.” He said for people with appointments within the city that means Ride Well only takes them to the edge of the city, at which point the individual must take a city bus or cab the rest of the way. “I think that is a pretty major failing at this point,” he said. “Our own system can’t even go to our county administration building (located in downtown Guelph).” Cork added, “This is the same Guelph we keep hearing about that is supposed to be such a great friend of Wellington County.” Financial forecast Cork said the financial forecast for the county for the next 10 years
includes tax increases ranging from 3.3% to 4.3%. He said for most of the 10 years, increases will hover at about 4%. “Our mayor (Andy) Lennox at the last county meeting made the excellent point that we cannot afford those kind of increases any more,” he said. Cork indicated he agrees with the mayor. He said he was recently in the home of a Wellington North resident who worked hard all his life and is still working and approaching retirement. “This person is basically living on tea and toast,” Cork said. He added the person’s biggest worry is making his property tax payments and, “Another big worry is that he may not even be able to stay in his home.” Cork added, “for me it is no wonder that the 10-year forecast has such high tax increases.” He agreed the county has a lot of big projects on the go “and they also
seem to have an unquenching desire to take on more such projects.” Cork said the 10-year forecast includes $22 million for upgrades to the county administration centre. “Most of that will be spent on building an underground parking garage in Guelph,” he said. Cork added he takes issue with the county administration building being located in the city of Guelph, “outside our own county.” “That is a discussion for another day,” he noted. Relating to the budget, Cork said the building project will call for another $17-million in borrowing. “The county is planning to take on another $42-million in debt over the next 10 years,” he said. “These are big numbers and will move the county debt from where it is now, at $36 million, to $50 million by 2029. “It is going to mean debt servicing costs will max out at around $8-mil-
lion per year. “I don’t agree with it.” Additionally, Cork said the financial numbers “include nothing for the proposed Continuum of Care, which we are hearing more and more about and still spending money on, even though the project has not yet been approved.” Cork stressed, “so much of this spending hinges on getting government grants, at a time when the province is trying to balance its own budget. A lot of that balancing is being done at the expense of grant funding to municipalities.” Cork said the good news is that the county has promised discussion shortly regarding the tax rates within the 10-year forecast. “But so often, these numbers simply become the truth after a certain period,” said Cork. “I’m really looking forward to having that discussion away from the heat of the moment.”
Development charges set to rise under new bylaw in Town of Minto PATRICK RAFTIS REPORTER MINTO – A proposed new development charges bylaw would raise the charge on a single detached home here by $2,197. Minto council planned to consider the bylaw, which also includes an increase in commercial and industrial rates, at its Feb. 18 meeting. The bylaw raises development charges on a single residential property from $6,842 to $9,039. For non-residential properties, the charge would rise from $2.67 to $3.87 per square foot. At a Feb. 4 public meeting, Andrew
Grunda of Watson and Associates Economists Ltd. presented a background study on local development charges. The consultant noted the new rates would still leave Minto at the lower end of a comparison study of 25 other municipalities. Of the municipalities studied, only Puslinch, West Grey and Howick would have lower residential rates. Five municipalities would have lower commercial rates and six would have lower industrial rates. On Feb. 4 Grunda explained development charges “are a mechanism that council has to defray the costs related to new development from being paid for by existing taxpayers
who already have a sufficient level of services.” He noted additional development may have implications on municipal services that “require additional infrastructure,” that should be “paid for by those new developments.” A report from Watson and Associates indicates Minto’s population is expected grow from 9,041 today to just over 12,300 by 2021, with the number of residential units expected to rise from 3,205 to 3,577 over the same period. The impact of growth on services such as transportation, fire protection, parks and recreation, administration, water and wastewater is expected
to generate about $10.35 million in capital spending recoverable through development charges. The Development Charges Act provides statutory exemptions for: - industrial additions of up to 50 per cent of the existing ground floor area of the building (for industrial additions which exceed 50% of the existing area, only the portion of the addition in excess of 50% is subject development charges); - residential development that results in only the enlargement of an existing dwelling unit, or only the creation of up to two additional dwelling units; and - land used for municipal or board
SERVING MAPLETON, MINTO & WELLINGTON NORTH
of education purposes. Non-statutory exemptions in Minto’s previous bylaw that have been maintained include: a temporary use permitted under Section 39 of the Planning Act or an accessory use, home business, temporary building, place of worship or bona-fide farm operation. The new bylaw also includes an exemption for second residential dwelling units, which will become a statutory exemption upon proclamation through the province’s More Homes, More Choice Act. The act has received Royal Assent, but new statutory exemptions have not yet been declared.