The irony at Springwater Township’s budget meeting Wednesday afternoon was palpable.
In an effort to identify and squeeze out every last possible dime from a budget that has caused nothing but consternation for Springwater councillors, Coun. Anita Moore shut down all forward momentum when she decided to do a deep dive and go over various parts of the budget, line by line, to get clarity on the items that concerned her.
As she did, others involved in the budget discussion — members of council, senior management, including chief administrative officer and three department directors, and at least eight other township employees, many of them managers — sat and waited to either be called upon for further explanation or just sat waiting.
“Before we’re put in a position to vote on something, I would really like to go through the capital plan, or the capital project justifications, so that we can maybe review what is being asked for,” Moore said in her preamble. “If you’ll just indulge me, I'm going to go through some.”
She also noted that she wanted to address the roads need study and the $3.5 million that was passed by council resolution earlier this year to see “if there’s any room there where we could defer to 2026 some of that work.”
For the next three hours plus, Moore peppered various staffers with questions that could have been addressed during the various one-on-one sessions township directors offered to all members of council when the budget process began Nov. 6.
Moore, however, has a full-time job and wasn’t able to make time for the sessions.
The majority of her queries were focused on the possibility of deferring some of the expenses in the 2025 budget to 2026.
When she wrapped up her portion, she had identified four road projects: Walt Road, Rosewood Avenue, Flos Road 3 and Rainbow Valley Road — worth $464,000 that she felt could be delayed until 2026.
Additionally, she identified another $400,000 that could be saved if the township passed on buying a new truck ($80,000), robotic grass cutters ($80,000) and reduced the investment in the Phelpston pavilion renovations/repairs by $250,000, from $750,000 to $500,000. (Removing these items from the budget would have no impact on the township’s municipal tax levy as they’re funded through debt reserves or development charges.)
“That’s my proposal,” Moore said.
Before moving forward, Mayor Jennifer Coughlin sought clarity.
“Understanding that there is a resolution from council that says we’re requesting $3.5 million, would that then mean that that commitment is still before staff and you would then reassign different roads to that project or is it the intent of council to pull back on the 3.5?” Coughlin asked, directing her question to Moore.
“Whichever is simpler for staff, but which is also more palatable for council,” Moore responded. “Whatever works.
“The $3.5 million already for roads, I assumed that these were incorporated, so if we have to do a reconsideration for that, I’m fine with that,” the councillor added.
“My understanding is the direction that was provided earlier this year, staff had provided for that in the current budget,” said Jeff Schmidt, the township's CAO. “If council wishes to change that, I believe they have the purview to do that."
He added a cautionary note, however.
“That said, for 2026, unless council reconsiders that direction, you will see staff come forward with $3.5 million in the 2026 budget,” Schmidt said.
“Just so we're clear, that for 2025 we’ll do it, but if there is no reconsideration, then you will see us come back in 2026 with the $3.5-million investment unless you reconsider that direction," he added.
Coughlin then checked with staff to confirm the roads that were identified by council were roads that could be left as is for another year.
Dan Eberhardt, the township's manager of capital infrastructure delivery, told council the four roads identified by Moore could be deferred to next year, but doing so will have a domino effect.
“Next year, we will come back, as CAO Schmidt outlined, with $3.5 million plus a three per increase for road resurfacing projects,” Eberhardt said. “A deferral on this project will defer projects for next year on to the following year and so forth.
“Just keep that in mind,” he added.
Coughlin wondered if it would be simpler to reduce the tax funding for the $3.5 million by $500,000.
“If we were to simply pull back $500,000 out of the tax-supported portion of that, what would that look like?” Coughlin asked Greg Bedard, the township's finance director.
“If we were to reduce that by the $500,000 that’s been mentioned, we’re in a very similar situation to where we are this year,” Bedard said. “We’re not contributing tax dollars to our roads infrastructure and we will be back before council next year requesting tax dollars again in order to meet the $3.5-million goal, should that still stand.
“We could accomplish what's before council and we would work within that pot of money, for lack of better words, and allocate it to each project that has made it thus far," he added. “But again, the implication is that we are not sustainably funding our roads infrastructure.”
Deputy Mayor George Cabral suggested there were a few big-ticket items that have impacted the 2025 budget that may not be in play next year.
“I think we might find ourselves in a slightly better position come next year,” he said. “Because those costs are already embedded in this budget going forward. We won’t have these large, large expenditures that were in the magnitude of $1 million plus."
Coughlin was part way through asking Bedard a question about the big-ticket items — labour and investment in capital funded from taxation — when she was interrupted by Schmidt.
“I just want to clarify with members of council the comment about expenditures,” he said. “I will advise you that in 2026, $47.4 million in capital is proposed. In 2027, $44.4 million is proposed. In 2028, 50 million plus is proposed and the same in 2029.
“Deferring projects just continues to build those expenditures in future years,” Schmidt stressed. “I get it, we have pressures, it’s a tough budget, but you're kicking the burden down the road is what you’re doing.”
Springwater council will meet again on Tuesday, Dec. 3 beginning at 3 p.m. to continue budget deliberations.
The final budget is scheduled to be approved at the township’s Dec. 4 council meeting.
