Miss Vicky's Offhand Remarks

City Budget in Brief

OK, here is the upshot:

The draft budget was put together by staff using guidelines given to them by council, to keep a tax increased under 5%. SO, the draft budget is based on a tax increase of 4.9% and to get to 4.9% staff has outlined about 35 million dollars in cuts to programs and services and substantially increased user fees for transit, parks and recreation and other items.

The Budget at a Glance document outlines the direction that staff was given and describes the proposed cuts and changes.

A lot of the increased spending described in the budget reflect "budget pressures" that are beyond the city's control - it will cost an additional 44 million dollars just to maintain the services we have, simply because of increased costs (the price of fuel, wage settlements imposed by arbitration, and so on). That is simply the cost of doing business. Other items are mandated by the province and the city has no option but to deliver the services and pay the cost - that's an 11 million dollar "pressure". Other pressures are not set by council but we have to pay for them nevertheless - like the police budget's request for a 13.5 million dollar increase (something like six percent, or a one percent increase in your property taxes). Council could refuse, send the police budget back and tell them they'll have to swallow it like veryone else, but will they have the guts? Doubtful.

Anyway, let's get to some of the recommended cuts and user fee increases:

A 7.5% increase in transit fees (I believe this would be an increase in the price of tickets, primarily). The budget also proposes service reductions, including the elimination of some routes.

Increases in parks and rec rental fees. Minor hockey teams would see a 51% increase in hourly rink rates. Field rentals would go up from $5.45/hour for kids to $24.30 an hour, and from $15.08 for adults to $30. Pool rentals would more than double, and fees for room and gym rental in our community centres would go up by 35%.

Arts and culture would see a 4.1 million dollar hit, eliminating funding for festivals, cultural events and individual artists. Arts and heritage funding would be cut by 42%, and some cultural programs would be deferred (the museum sustainability initiative, for example)

Outdoor rink grant are to be cut entirely. In Kitchissippi, I'm assuming this would affect the rinks at Champlain Park, Fairmont Park, Iona and elsewhere.

Where a program is mandated by legislation, staff is recommending to fund only the portion required by law. In real terms, this means the loss of 700 subsidized child care spaces and reduce the public health department by $2 million (or, if you want to put it in tangible terms, it would mean eliminating one epidemiologist, a nutritionist, nurses, project officers and program assistants). Ottawa Community Housing capital expenditures would be capped, therefore compounding the current crisis of deferred maintenance in those units. There will be cuts to Long Term Care, among other programs

Deferral of planned expenditures includes things like converting existing subsidized social housing units into targeted supportive housing for people with mental illnesses and addictions, funding for tenant resources and funds for community gardens (note: funding for the expansion of needle cleanup has been retained). Funding to consult with people living with disabilities about the city's accessibility is also among the deferred items, as has pretty much every expansion of library services, the Green Partnership program and expanded cycling services in keeping with the Ottawa Cycling Plan

Lots to digest, and you kind of have to sift through the series of budget documents to get the picture. By the way, Miss Vicky still hasn't heard back on the issue of Phase II of the Wellington West reconstruction. Definitely a question we'll need to ask our councillor at the public meetings.

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