General Committee - Budget

That the December 10, 2024 General Committee- Budget Agenda be approved, as amended, to include the following Budget Motions to the Agenda: • Budget Motion – Fund Caledon Earth Hour Community Event • Budget Motion – Creation of A Caledon Public Library Reserve Fund • Budget Motion - Town Wide Field Lining • Budget Motion - Use of Tax Funded Operating Contingency Reserve to Reduce the Impact on the Tax Payer 2025 A recorded vote was taken as follows:

That Fees and Charges By-law 2024-006, as amended be repealed and replaced with the proposed 2025 Fees and Charges By-law attached as Schedule C to Staff Report 20240623 to take effect January 1, 2025. A recorded vote was taken as follows:

That the budget motion presented by Councillor C. Napoli and Councillor D. Sheen regarding Funding of the Caledon Public Library Board’s Proposed 2025 Budget be amended as follows:  delete the wording “Be it resolved that Project 25-064- Library Furnishings and Finishes.” A recorded vote was taken as follows:

That the budget motion presented by Councillor C. Napoli and Councillor D. Sheen regarding Funding of the Caledon Public Library Board’s Proposed 2025 Budget be amended as follows: 1. delete the wording “Be it resolved that Project 25-031- Expanded Library Access- Inglewood Branch”; and 2. provide that “Project 25-031- Expanded Library Access- Inglewood Branch” be funded in the amount of $64 000 from the appropriate Development Charge (DC) account as per Development Charge Background Study (DCBS). A recorded vote was taken as follows:

Whereas the Caledon Public Library Board is tasked with preparing budget estimates for Council under Section 24 of the Public Libraries Act; and Whereas the Library Board has approved a budget that is informed by community need and includes the funds required to maintain service levels and realize the initial recommendations of the Library’s Comprehensive Growth Plan; and Whereas only funds equal to the Library’s Base Operating Budget for 2024 are currently reflected with the Town’s 2025 Budget; and Whereas no funds to purchase library materials, including books, ebooks, audiobooks or DVDs, are included in the Town’s 2025 budget; and General Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Page 5 of 14 Whereas no funds to purchase, maintain or repair library hardware and information technology tools are included in the Town’s 2025 budget; and Whereas no funding in support of a Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) for Library staff or to maintain legislated pay equity between Library and Town staff is included in the Town’s 2025 budget; and Whereas the Caledon Public Library cannot maintain current service levels in 2025 with funds equal to the 2024 base operating budget; and Whereas the absence of an amendment to fund the Library Board’s proposed 2025 budget will result in cuts to library services; and Whereas use of library services and spaces continue to increase, with the number of visits to library branches growing by 40% in the first 9 months of 2024; and Whereas Caledon

Whereas The Caledon Trailway is one of the most used community resources in the Town of Caledon. Whereas The Caledon Trailway is one of the primary tourist attractions in the Town of Caledon. Whereas, in the 2024 Budget, Council allocated $972,034 for Trail Structures and Improvements which included the replacement of existing trail access gates at: Kennedy and Boston Mills, Creditview, Highway 10, Heart Lake and Mountainview Whereas in Caledon’s Active Transportation Master Plan, adopted by Council in June 2024, states that “the community places a high priority on safety, for example, having safe crossing points, especially along major streets” (p.20) Whereas in Caledon’s Active Transportation Master Plan, it states” where possible, cycling facilities and trails will be accessible to people of all ages and abilities, in alignment with AODA requirements” (p.24) Whereas in Caledon’s Active Transportation Master Plan, it makes the following recommendation, SAFETY: “The Town should upgrade and modernize the existing trail access gates for the Caledon Trailway and community trails as part of future capital projects. New trail access controls will need to balance preventing motor vehicle access while enabling trail users to comfortably access the trail whether they are on foot, using a mobility device or a type of bicycle” (p.78) Whereas the Town of Caledon has declared a Road Safety Emergency and pedestrians, cyclists and those with disabilities are the most vulnerable on our roa

Whereas in previous budgets, the Caledon Public Library Budget was included in the Town of Caledon Budget; and Whereas in previous years, unspent funds allocated to the Caledon Public Library (CPL), were returned to the Town of Caledon to be included in the annual surplus; and Whereas the Caledon Public Library has had to ask for several budget line item increases both in maintaining existing service levels and in service improvements. Now therefore be it resolved that Schedule A to By-Law 2020-104 amended to allocate any unspent CPL monies to a new reserve fund, labeled distinctly “Library Reserve Fund”; and Further that if and when opportunities arise additions to this Reserve will be at the discretion of Council and monies are to be used at the request of the Library Board to augment any future budgetary shortfalls to reduce the impact on the taxpayer for any future Library requests. A recorded vote was taken as follows:

WHEREAS the Town of Caledon has successfully implemented an Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program to improve road safety in School Zones and Community Safety Zones; AND WHEREAS the current ASE program has demonstrated significant reductions in average operating speeds, with decreases of 42% on Columbia Way and 12% on Kennedy Road; AND WHEREAS Town staff have recommended increasing the total number of ASE cameras to eight (8) to effectively balance road safety and operational feasibility; AND WHEREAS the expansion to eight cameras would position Caledon as one of the municipalities in Ontario with the highest number of cameras per capita; AND WHEREAS the estimated operating costs for eight ASE cameras in 2025 would be $522,000, an increase of $112,000 from the original plan for six cameras; AND WHEREAS the net cost of the program is estimated to be recovered from fine revenues for both the six and eight camera scenarios; General Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Page 8 of 14 AND WHEREAS there is a strong community demand for improved road safety measures across the Town of Caledon, as evidenced by ongoing public feedback and the concerns raised at the many community meetings hosted by the Town in 2024; AND WHEREAS the Town of Caledon has declared a “road safety emergency” in recognition of the urgent need to address speeding and other dangerous driving behaviours on local roads; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: 1. The Mayor's proposed 2025 budget be am

Whereas the TRCA has made it known that they will no longer be permitting skating on the Palgrave pond Whereas the town has installed boards and plastic for natural ice skating rink in the Palgrave baseball park for a number of years Whereas the natural ice rinks and the pond, when weather conditions permit, are very well used in the Palgrave area Whereas the town now has 4 outside artificial ice surfaces in the inventory There for be it resolved that a new capital project be added to the 2025 capital program: outdoor ice rink/hard court at Palgrave Ball Park with a budget of $1,300,025 funded from Development Charges as this is a growth related expenditure for the Palgrave/Palgrave Estate Residential Community General Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Page 9 of 14 And further that staff investigate the building of a skate trail at this location for a future project A recorded vote was taken as follows:

Whereas the TRCA has made it known that they will no longer be permitting skating on the Palgrave pond Whereas the town has installed boards and plastic for natural ice skating rink in the Palgrave baseball park for a number of years Whereas the natural ice rinks and the pond, when weather conditions permit, are very well used in the Palgrave area Whereas the town now has 4 outside artificial ice surfaces in the inventory There for be it resolved that a new capital project be added to the 2025 capital program: outdoor ice rink/hard court at Palgrave Ball Park with a budget of $1,300,025 funded from Development Charges as this is a growth related expenditure for the Palgrave/Palgrave Estate Residential Community And further that staff investigate the building of a skate trail at a location for a future project A recorded vote was taken as follows:

Whereas the Palgrave Tennis Club delegated Council on December 10; and Whereas the letter signed by Jane Fogerty, President of the Palgrave Tennis club outlines the request from the club; and Whereas the town has historically supported requests from community groups to support matching funding; and General Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Page 10 of 14 Whereas PTC has offered up $85,000 for the projects outlined in their letter; Therefore, be it resolved that a new capital project be added to the 2025 budget; Upgrades to the Palgrave Tennis courts for $85,000 for court repairs and light replacement to be funded from the tax levy. A recorded vote was taken as follows:

Whereas Earth Hour is a worldwide event organized and promoted by the World Wildlife Fund Whereas many communities (Vaughan, Halton Hills, Brampton) surrounding Caledon have annual Earth Hour community events Whereas Caledon has declared a “Climate emergency” Whereas Eco-Caledon has expressed an interest in working with the Town to plan and execute a Caledon Earth Hour community event on March 22, 2025. Therefore, be it resolved that $20,000 be allocated to the Energy and Environment team, in the Town of Caledon 2025 Budget, to fund a Caledon Earth Hour community event in collaboration with Eco-Caledon. Further, that this will be funded through a one-time draw on the Tax Funded Operating Contingency Reserve. A recorded vote was taken as follows:

Whereas the Town of Caledon is in a period of growth and Park user groups are growing along with their servicing needs; and Whereas the Town is experiencing exponentially higher use of its Park facilities; and Whereas the Town is promoting itself as a destination for sporting tournament events and is blessed with several great partners and affiliates; and Whereas the Town currently does not have the resources allocated to provide full servicing of weekend and after hour events; and Whereas the Town does not currently include field lining with it’s field rental agreements to its affiliates and user groups, leaving this responsibility solely on the affiliate or user group to line the fields; and Whereas lining is often included in neighboring municipalities creating a financial strain on our affiliates and user groups. Now therefore be it resolved that the Town carry on as status quo with its lining procedure delegated to its affiliates and user groups for 2025, however, the Town commences in reimbursing those affiliates and user groups in 2025, at a rate of 50 % of their invoiced lining expenses, to an upper limit of $75000 capped cumulatively for all lining expenses; and Further that in 2025 staff in Park Operations and Community Supports establish a business case to address increased service level to accommodate the changing needs in parks and outdoor facilities, and That staff benchmark park services offered by neighboring growth municipalities and engage the community and

Whereas in October 2024 Council voted to establish the Tax Stabilization Reserve which was allocated 40% of the 2023 budget surplus ($2.100,000) Whereas in November 2024 By-law 2020-104 was amended to include the Tax Stabilization Reserve in Schedule A General Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Page 12 of 14 Therefore, be it resolved that the amount of $815,803 be

Whereas the current economic circumstances and the impact of inflation and employment conditions in our nation are not improving as quickly as we would all want, highlighting the needs of many in our community; and Whereas this Council is committed to delivering a tax increase that respects the residents of Caledon and acknowledges the financial pressures confronting them, while being fiscally responsible and prudent. Now therefore be it resolved that $550,000 be allocated from the Tax Funded Operating Contingency Reserve to mitigate the impact of the Town of Caledon 2025 budget. A recorded vote was taken as follows:

That the thirty (30) days where Council may pass a resolution making an amendment to the proposed budget received from the Mayor on December 2, 2024, be reduced to fifteen (15) days to expire on December 17, 2024, where budget amendments are before General Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Page 13 of 14 Council for approval at its regular meeting, in accordance with Ontario Regulation 530/22 section 7(4). A recorded vote was taken as follows:

Whereas the Town of Caledon has received a Notice of Motion regarding boulevard maintenance in a specific area of Southfields Village; and Whereas staff have assessed the area mentioned in the Notice of Motion and provided recommendations. Now therefore be it resolved that the Town of Caledon: 1. Implement a communication and education plan in the Spring of 2025 to inform property owners of their responsibilities under the Clean Yards By-Law regarding boulevard maintenance; 2. The Town conduct a two-week rigorous enforcement campaign of the Clean Yards By- Law in June 2025, focusing on boulevard maintenance requirements; 3. The Engineering, Public Works and Transportation Commission be directed to estimate the costs of replacing grass in the specified area of Southfields Village with decorative concrete, similar to other commercial cores in Caledon; 4. The cost estimates for the decorative concrete replacement be presented as part of the 2026 capital budget deliberations; 5. Staff report back to Council on the results of the education, enforcement, and cost estimation efforts by September 2025, including any recommendations for future actions or policy changes regarding boulevard maintenance in commercial areas. A recorded vote was taken as follows: