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For anyone interested in having a say in where their 2011 property taxes go. The Town budget committee is having their first consultation meeting for staff to hear from the public and councillors on what the Town priorities should be for 2011. (see attached link)

http://www.milton.ca/execserv/agendas20 ... ussion.pdf

So you can either attend the meeting starting at 7.30 pm this Monday June 21st in the Town Hall Council Chambers and address the committee or post your comments, concerns and ideas on the villager, talk to your councillor or candidates and email me at colin.best@milton.ca which I can raise at the meeting.

Also the Administration and Planning Committee will be meeting right after the budget meeting will be hearing the initial presentation from the Milton Heights Landowners Group and planning staff for the construction of up to 1000 homes in the Milton Heights area north of Steeles Ave. to Highway #401 between the existing Tremaine road and Peru road. (see attached report and maps)

http://www.milton.ca/execserv/agendas20 ... Report.pdf

Hope to see any interested residents at the meetings.

Colin Best
Local & regional councillor
Vice-Chair Milton Administration & Planning Committee
Candidate for Local & regional councillor
Wards 2,3,4,5. North of Derry road.

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Become a Fan! Visit my website! Email: colin.best@milton.ca Twitter Follow! 905-878-3623

The purpose of this budget meeting is to provide staff with guidance on spending priorities as they begin the 2011 budget preparation.

It seems clear that Milton residents would place a very high priority on an expansion of Milton Hospital. Under current rules, that means that Milton should start building a reserve fund to influence the Province priorities and to pay off local capital requirements. A reasonable fund target might be $50 million with an annual contribution of about $2.5 million (which just happens to be Milton's share of the GTA Pooling loot ).

If hospital expansion is NOT given a high priority, the budget process will likely follow the traditional course. Council will provide staff with little or no guidance on priorities. Some councillors will comment that they would like a tax increase around the rate of inflation. Town departments will submit their wish lists which in total will absorb the Mohawk revenue, the 2009 surplus, the Milton Hydro profit, the GTA Pooling funds, and a 3% tax increase. After all the lower priority spending has been thus covered, someone will suggest a surcharge to save for hospital expansion - about 8% for 20 years if the goal is to save $50 million. Not acceptable!

To avoid that scenario, Council should give staff a high priority NOW for hospital funding. Staff will then have to prepare a tighter budget, and if Council wants a bigger tax increase it will have to justify it based on incremental lower-priority projects - not the hospital expansion.

Hi Steve and Kelly

As noted in the report, staff are taking public comments up to July 2nd which you can submit through www.milton.ca or in letter form to the Mayor and members of council at 150 Mary St. Milton, ON L9T 6Z5.

Thanks garlis for your comments regarding the hospital, treasury staff have been meeting with Halton Health Care representatives in preparation for the funding report which will be presented at the Monday June 28th council meeting for discussion on how to deal with that issue.

See the attached upcoming reports for details on the items that are to be presented to council and committeess.

http://www.milton.ca/execserv/agendas20 ... eports.pdf

Colin Best
Local & regional councillor
Milton/Halton
Candidate for Local & regional councillor
Wards 2,3,4,5. North of Derry road.

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Become a Fan! Visit my website! Email: colin.best@milton.ca Twitter Follow! 905-878-3623

The main things are transit of course, and making some money available to keep the Bruce St. library open, if that's the decision. With the area around it targeted for intensification I think that makes keeping it open in some form a must.

I'm a tad uncomfortable using anything beyond the GTA pooling money for the hospital. We don't know a final number, or "if" it will happen. As I said on another thread I recently met PC leader Tim Hudak. Hudak came across as being kind of vague- I would focus some efforts on getting him to commit one way or another to putting hospitals back on the Development charges. I wouldn't rule out waiting a year- we'll have a better idea of how things are shaking out with the new Oakville Hospital, and on the provincial election front in terms of party platforms, etc.

Colin

Thanks for the response. I am aware that hopital funding is scheduled for the agenda of June 28. You may have missed the point I was trying to make.

How can councillors do their job of guiding staff on budget priorities, on behalf of constituents, if they ignore the high priority of a hospital reserve fund? i.e. the elephant in the room.

IMO if this is not stated as a budget priority it will be easier for those councillors who would accept a budget filled with lower priority items and then use the hospital priority to spin for a surtax.

The good news is that voters are watching the hospital issue and won't have to wait long before passing judgement in October.

Heres a way to solve the problem. Deduct the allocated increase in the budget and either make it 0 increase or a smaller amount. That way when the 2% recommendation comes in, council can say we only budgeted for 1%.

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Mike Cluett
Local/Regional Councillor
Wards 1,6,7 & 8

Website | Email mike@mikecluett.ca | Cell (647) 888-9032 | Facebook Page | | Twitter @Mike_Cluett

With some of our staff, 10% might be justified...they DO great work and they "deserve" a lot more. Problem is the finances.

My employer may think (and does in fact) that I do a great job but given the numbers there may only be X amount available to me and other staff members. Its all about the numbers.

Remember, when budgeting happens they always ask for MORE than what they need...its just a fact of business. Its council's job to look at the numbers and decide what stays and what goes. Again staff makes recommendations and while a number of those recommendations might be justified...the numbers have to balance out with as little impact on taxpayers as possible.

Garlis can speak to this as hes seen a lot more budget meetings that even I have...they seem to zip through without asking a lot of questions.

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Mike Cluett
Local/Regional Councillor
Wards 1,6,7 & 8

Website | Email mike@mikecluett.ca | Cell (647) 888-9032 | Facebook Page | | Twitter @Mike_Cluett

Agreed Mike. The budget process provides plenty of opportunity for councillors to review line items (including salary increases) and give guidance - including tonight. Unfortunately they haven't used them.

Two suggestions that may help:
- Councillors can't seem to keep up with the improvements that the Treasurer and staff have made to the process. WHEN the new councillors are elected, they should ask the Treasurer to conduct a compulsary seminar for councillors on budget preparation.
- Select a budget chairman who is prepared to lead the process rather than just sit in the big chair at budget meetings and hold the gavel.

Rick who? He and Barry Lee were AWOL.

The agenda report for the budget meeting
http://www.milton.ca/execserv/agendas20 ... ussion.pdf
stated " This public meeting allows an opportunity for council and the community to provide input .... prior to setting the budget guidelines".

Staff presented a good overview of the Milton fiscal environment going into the 2011 budget.
A handful of civilian and candidate delegates made comments.
Councillors provided no comment, no feedback, no guidance on priorities to staff for the 2011 budget. Nothing! Who is steering this corporation???

If 2010 budget or even expected actual is taken as the baseline for the 2011 budget are we not further entrenching any existing cost inefficiencies? I would prefer a zero base approach to the budget where the cost of everything done by the Town is rigorously reviewed. For example if salaries represent 31% of total expenditure and the increase percentage is all that receives focus in the budget process then effectively less than 1% of the new budget will have received attention and not the 31%.

As I have said previously the private sector, especially over the last 2 or 3 years have become adept at removing costs from their products. The Town needs to start this process with the objective of any costs removed being directed to the Hospital Expansion Reserve Fund. This will also ensure that Hospital Expansion funding is an integral part of the budget process. The critical nature and need for the expansion certainly should accord the project the highest priority but I believe it would be an error to treat it separate from the budget process.

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Martin Capper

HVRA member

www.cappercares.ca
www.MartinCapper.com

Lou&Leanne, I think hawthorner was being sarcastic (or at least I hope so).