Stratford councilors were still looking to cut costs as budget discussions continued at their finance and labor relations subcommittee meeting Thursday night.
Advertisement 2
Article content
Article content
Recommended Videos
Article content
Little, however, has changed since their last meeting in December. What started out as a 5.9 per cent tax increase crept up to 6.53 per cent before the budget process paused for the holiday break. That hike now sits at a 6.35 per cent potential increase.
Discussions remain ongoing, and there will still be at least one more committee meeting on the budget before it’s sent to a full council meeting for final approval. Despite a desire to reduce costs, the committee approved an additional $75,000 for staffing, including the hiring of a back-flow prevention officer.
Before councilors started discussions, Coun. Lesley Biehn pointed out the increases to the cost of living in Canada, as well as the growing number of clients turning to the Stratford House of Blessing food bank. According to figures provided by Biehn, the number of households served by the local food bank has increased by 30 per cent when compared to a year ago while the number people receiving food has gone up by 24 per cent. The number of unhoused residents being helped by the Stratford House of Blessing has been reported by 44 per cent.
Advertisement 3
Article content
“I just thought it was a good number to have in our mind while we’re deliberating,” Biehn told her council colleagues.
With the city in the midst of the process to sell the former Normal School building, Coun. Mark Hunter, who chairs that committee, made a motion to reduce the $350,000 that was proposed to be moved to capital reserves for the building to just $100,000.
“The rationale being that, until it’s sold, we probably will need some maintenance, and I think it’s prudent to make some contribution, but if we’re going to sell it, I don’t think we need to make the entire contribution, ”Hunter said.
Coun. Cody Sebben, though, suggested doing so would be “precluding the decision to declare it surplus,” saying he did not support the idea of selling the property.
Advertisement 4
Article content
Coun. Jo-Dee Burbach agreed it made sense to contribute some amount but not the full $350,000, and that motion was carried.
Coun. Geza Wordofa put forth a motion to end the city’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming, which costs the city around $251,000 for two full staff members: the manager of the DEI office and the city’s accessibility co-ordinator. Wordorfa called into the question the necessity of the city-funded office, suggesting there are other ways for staff to get appropriate DEI training, such as YouTube.
“It’s not necessary to spend that amount of money,” said Wordofa, the president and founder of the Multicultural Association of Perth-Huron.
Wordofa noted the growing number of impoverished in the region and suggested Stratford wasn’t doing enough to help.
While Wordofa’s motion was defeated, council did make a motion for staff to review the program.
Article content