There is a solution to the obvious confusion some Barrie councillors have expressed about applying the strong mayor powers to the 2024 budget process.
Leave the powers on the shelf, where they belong.
City council has literally been passing its operating and capital budgets, which set property taxes and service levels, for decades without the need for such strong mayor powers.
Granted by the province (read Premier Doug Ford), these powers are ostensibly to speed passage of key, shared municipal-provincial priorities, such as housing, transit and infrastructure.
The powers include granting mayors a veto on council decisions conflicting with these provincial priorities, although a two-thirds majority of council can override the mayor’s veto.
Mayors can also propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, as well as override council approval of bylaws, such as a zoning bylaw that would stall home building. It’s part of the province’s plan to have 1.5 million new homes built by 2031.
Mayors can also prepare their city's budget, instead of council.
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall has given no indication that he plans to flex these new powers, available just since July 1, during the city’s budget process, which officially began yesterday when councillors got their budget binders, containing the operating and capital budget details.
But let’s be blunt here: Barrie councillors have had budgets, property taxes and service levels on their minds for a while.
Those gears have been grinding.
Which is why, on Nov. 8, council passed two direct motions dealing with the strong mayors powers and budget timing.
We know Ontario’s Municipal Act says a mayor may veto an amendment to the budget passed by a council motion, but council may then override the mayor’s veto if two-thirds of councillors vote to — within 15 days of the mayor’s veto.
But council may pass a resolution to shorten the 15-day override period, and this is Barrie’s first direct motion. That council shorten the time period to override any veto of the mayor to five business days from 15 for the city’s operating, capital and service partner (Barrie police, County of Simcoe, Barrie Public Library, etc.) budgets.
The Municipal Act also says council may pass a resolution to shorten the 30-day period to pass amendments to the budget after it is provided by the mayor. Barrie councillors received the city’s operating and capital budgets on Wednesday and will get the service partner budgets on Jan. 17, 2024.
The second direct motion is that council shorten the 30-day time period to pass such amendments to Barrie’ operating and capital budgets to Dec. 6, 2023, and service partner budgets to Jan. 31, 2024.
Staff have said this timing is crucial to getting better prices in its capital budget, so that it’s done before costs increase early in the new year.
Councillors have had questions about how all of this will work — whether five days is enough time to organize an override of a mayor’s veto, when the five day period actually begins, how to call emergency council meetings if necessary, how much capital costs actually increase Jan. 1, etc.
Implementing these two direct motions might bog down the entire budget process.
Granted, this council has given itself plenty of time to deal with the budget.
At finance and responsible governance committee Nov. 22, city staff present the budgets, then discuss them at general committee Nov. 29, then final approval to the city’s portion of the budget Dec. 6 at council.
Service partners make their presentation to councillors on Jan. 17, 2024, then those budgets go to general committee on Jan. 24 and council on Jan. 31.
So six meetings, instead of two or three.
It would seem Nov. 22 until Jan. 31 is plenty of time to decide our property tax increase (yes, taxes are going up next year) and the level of services this city supplies to its residents.
Unless the strong mayor regulations play a role in the process, as per the timelines council has now provided.
And an argument can certainly be made that the members of this council have shown no reluctance to follow their mayor’s lead.
So the question remains: if those strong mayor powers aren’t going to be used, why are the direct motions necessary?
Seeing is believing, it says here.
Bob Bruton covers city council for BarrieToday. He believes every action has a reason, even if it’s difficult to see initially.
