City council passed its yearly budget on Wednesday with little debate.
Urban and rural homeowners will see a two-per-cent residential tax-rate increase, while the commercial rate will increase by 1.37 per cent. Water and sewer increases will be capped at six per cent, or an extra $48 per year for each household. The household fee for garbage will remain at $82.
The proposed 2.5-per-cent bus fair increase raised some controversy as Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans questioned how fare increases would affect the city’s most vulnerable residents.
John Manconi, general manager of transit services, assured council that OC Transpo used an “equity and inclusion lens” while re-evaluating the fares.
Included in OC Transpo’s plans is the introduction of 12 new double decker buses, improved service along main arteries such as Bank Street, the addition of Wi-Fi to buses, and improved Para Transpo service. Fares will cover a third of the new costs.
Meanwhile, Somerset Ward Coun. Catherine McKenney did not introduce a motion, as expected, to help homeless organizations that recently lost federal funding, including Centre 507 and The Well, but said she will continue to look for money.
Centre 507 provides services to disadvantaged people and soon it will have more than half of its annual budget axed by the government. McKenney pledged to support the centre in February by finding a way to provide one-time transition funding from city coffers in order for the centre to adapt a tighter budget.
Her initial plan was to bring a motion to council at the budget meeting, but when speaking to reporters at city hall before the meeting, she said it will be delayed until March 25.
“There’s no need to bring it back today while we’re discussing budget. So within the next two weeks… we will continue to look for a way of enhancing the city portion of their funding,” she said.
McKenney also expressed concerns over cuts to service funding for Ottawa Public Health, particularly programs geared towards new mothers.
“It boils down to revenue and the decisions we’re making around this table — that we will continue to make today and for the next three-and-a-half years — about how we’re funding these programs, what that means for our programs, and what we have to do differently if we want to see a different result,” she said.
Because of time constraints, councillors have yet to set priorities, leaving them to be finalized after the budget meeting. The city has set aside $37.4 million to “ensure public funds spent correspond with priorities once they are set.”
Cycling and pedestrian infrastructure will be addressed in the budget as “strategic initiatives,” although a total of $6 million is set aside for the year, as previously approved by council in the 2013 transportation master plan. These items will be up for discussion in subsequent priority-setting meetings.