Special weekend Barrie city council meeting focused on cutting costs
Barrie city councillors gathered for a special Saturday meeting to discuss ways to curb the city's spending over the coming decade.
Councillors recently received long-term financial projections detailing what the city would have to spend to complete all of the projects on the table.
"When we received that forecast, the number was very, very large, about an $8-billion capital plan over the next 20 years," says Mayor Lehman. "To be frank, council can't afford, or the city can't afford that unless we were to raise taxes substantially, and we don't want to do that."
So councillors gathered in person Saturday, voting to defer approximately $260-million from that $8-billion capital plan in planned spending. While it only equates to 3 per cent, the mayor says it is large enough to impact the bottom line.
"That 3 per cent makes a surprising difference because by pushing things and doing them more slowly we can afford to pay for more of them with the existing revenue that the city receives; that means less debt, it means lower tax increases in the future," says the mayor.
The mayor says the decision on the table today was deferring projects that, while wanted, are not necessarily deemed as essential right now. This includes delaying road-widening due to slower than anticipated growth in the population and pushing back planned construction of a new recreation centre.
"You always want to do more," says Lehman. "What you have to make sure is that you absolutely don't delay the ones that must be done, and then you can get into can we do a good job of doing the things that we should."
Council is next set to pour over the 2022 budget, with the ratification expected in early December.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.