Councilors begin talks on city’s $ 138-million capital budget for 2022

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City councilors got their first look this week at Brantford’s preliminary $ 138-million capital budget for 2022.

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The budget, an increase of about $ 49 million over last year, includes plans to purchase, build, maintain, repair and replace assets, including buildings, roads and bridges.

Over the next two weeks, staff from city commissions and departments, along with local boards and agencies, will present their individual budgets to councillors.

The lion’s share of the capital budget, $ 93 million, is for public works projects. The remainder is for local boards, including library, police and John Noble Home ($ 35.6 million); community services and social development ($ 2.6 million); people, legislated services and planning ($ 1.2 million); and CAO, including fire, finance, economic development and communications ($ 834,000).

Joelle Daniels, city treasurer and director of finance, also presented counselors with a $ 1.25 billion 10-year capital plan, which includes just over $ 1 billion for public works.

Daniels said there are number of pressures on the capital program:

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Funding for the capital budget comes from various sources, including reserves, developer contributions, gas tax, federal and provincial grants and debt.

Daniels said almost half of the proposed capital funding for 2022 comes from reserves. In the 10-year capital funding plan, that changes to development charges and growth-related debt making up almost 40 per cent of the funding.

On Wednesday, counselors also approved a report that lists capital projects that may have a measurable emissions impact, either positive or negative.

City staff are required to calculate the impact projects have on the environment and include it in a “climate and environmental implications” section on all reports written for city council. Staff use a calculator tool to determine greenhouse gas emissions and other metrics associated with the projects.

For the first year, just the public works and housing departments will be required to provide the data because they create the majority of emissions and other environmental impacts coming from buildings and vehicles.

In 2019, city council declared a climate change emergency, committing the city, in principle, to becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Some of the new light-duty trucks and other vehicles recommended for purchase by the city this year are hybrid and electric. Rochelle Rumney, the city’s climate change officer, said some of the larger trucks aren’t yet available in hybrid models.

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Also proposed in the capital budget is funding for a feasibility study to look at three of the city’s arenas and create a plan to transition the buildings to net-zero emissions facilities.

“The three arenas chosen for this study are Wayne Gretzky Sports Center, Lions Park Arena and civic center,” said Rumney. “These facilities all use a large amount of energy and have a large carbon footprint and are considered high priority facilities for carbon reduction in order to meet our emission reduction targets.”

Rumney said Brantford is one of just a few municipalities reporting on greenhouse gas emissions.

Coun. Cheryl Antoski said other communities “are reaching out to find out how we’re doing it.”

Upcoming capital budget meetings are on: Jan. 10, with presentations from police, library and John Noble Home; Jan. 12, with presentations from the CAO, community services and social development, and public works; and Jan. 17, with the public works presentation continuing.

The capital budget is expected to be approved at a council meeting on Jan. 25.

Meetings to deal with the city’s 2022 operating budget will be held in February.