City councilors are recommending the elimination of the Indigenous relations officer position from the 2024 budget.
Councilors voted in 6-5 in favor of the measure at an estimates committee meeting on Wednesday. Those voting in favor of removing the position included Mayor Kevin Davis, and councilors John Sless, Dan McCreary, Rose Sicoli, Gino Caputo and Greg Martin.
Those voting against the recommendation included Coun. Mike Sullivan, Linda Hunt, Brian Van Tilborg, Richard Carpenter and Mandy Samwell.
The position was created in October 2021 but became vacant last year and has not been filled.
“The original concept was to have someone who would allow us to improve some of the cultural events that take place in our city with greater Indigenous components,” Davis said. “The individual we had spent a lot of his time working with the Brant Region Indigenous Support Center to create a greater degree of understanding between our community and the Indigenous community.
“There were some very worthwhile initiatives that he was working on and that’s what we’re now missing.”
The individual who filled the position also reviewed the city’s policies and procedures to ensure the city is a welcoming inclusive organization, Davis said.
“My perspective is that it really wasn’t a full-time position,” Davis said. “Probably a half-time position.”
Davis said he voted in favor of the removing the position from the budget with the understanding that city staff may come back with recommendation for a better defined and more encompassing position.
Removing the position should not be interpreted as a sign that the city doesn’t value its relationships with people of Six Nations, Davis said.
The mayor said he met with former Six Nations Elected Chief Mark Hill regularly and has met with newly elected Six Nations Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill.
Improving the relationship with Six Nations elected council is an ongoing process involving senior city staff and as well as the elected leaders, Davis said.
The Wednesday meeting was the first of many that will be held in the coming weeks as city councilors review the city’s 2024 budget.
Recommendations made by the committee during its deliberations are expected to be approved when the budget is finalized in February.
The city’s 2024 budget calls for spending of just over $130 million, representing a 4.99 per cent increase over 2023. The increase translates into a residential property tax increase of $9.74 a month or $116.83 a year for the average home owner.
However, those figures are likely to go up because they only cover the costs controlled by the city. The cost of outside organizations, including the Brant County Health Unit and Brantford Police Service, among others, will be added to the property tax bill in the coming weeks.
Prior to the discussion, councilors heard from Joelle Daniels, the city’s commissioner of corporate services/city treasurer.
Daniels, during her presentation, provided councilors with figures that compared Brantford’s property taxes with other comparable municipalities – those with populations greater than 100,000.
Daniels said the city is very much in line with other municipalities. The average residential taxes paid in Brantford is $3,734 a year compared to an average of $4,802.
Budget deliberations summary Jan. 15 at 4:30 pm The meetings are open to the public and can be viewed on the city’s Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SitOzjGygeU&t=259s.
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