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The $2.1-billion Confederation Line LRT is still “on budget,” even though the city has added incremental work to the project, Mayor Jim Watson said Tuesday.
The city will spend millions more on the first phase of LRT, since the feds have offered to pay half of the costs of some extra projects.
“I wasn’t going to turn down $156 million in federal dollars for projects, and as you know, a good portion of those dollars are for Phase 2,” Watson told reporters after a budget update for the finance and economic development committee.
However, there is $8.5 million in added work proposed, with half of the money coming from the feds. The other half would come from municipal taxpayers, money that’s outside the $2.1-billion LRT budget.
Watson defended the extra spending, maintaining, “I’m very confident that the project will remain on time and on budget.”
He explained it like this: “The reality is, this project was approved over four years ago and from time to time, just like when you buy a new house, once you’ve bought the house, there are certain things, if you happen to come into additional funds, you improve your house, and in this case we’re improving the LRT system.”
The list of projects proposed to be partly funded by the feds sailed through the finance and economic development committee without any questions. Council needs to sign off Sept. 14.
Next wave of reductions coming with 2017 budget
We’re officially on job watch at city hall.
City manager Steve Kanellakos shuffled his management team over the summer and now people are waiting for second wave of cuts to the municipal public service. There will likely be more information about the impact to positions in the draft 2017 budget.
It’s up to Kanellakos to come up with a plan, but council won’t be required to approve it because he had the authority to make those kinds of changes, Watson said.
“I’ve been briefed on a global perspective but not the specifics at this point,” Watson said.
Kanellakos will make decisions to “right-size” the organization, the mayor said.
“Those savings will go to the bottom line to ensure we don’t run a deficit” or impact frontline services, Watson said.
Kanellakos predicts the city will become “leaner and more cost-efficient” with whatever changes he had up his sleeve.
Some of the savings could be dumped into winter maintenance. Management wants to beef up the snow-clearing reserves to better prepare for major winter storms. The winter maintenance budget has taken a beating in recent years, plunging the public works department into deficits.
Watson believes tweaks to the snow-clearing program will pay off.
“My sense is by 2017 the public works operations budget will be break-even or surplus,” he said.
Sinkhole report will be ready by the end of 2016
We still don’t know what caused the sinkhole on Rideau Street in June. We expected a report by around this time last month.
Watson didn’t want to provide the “ballpark figure” he has received from staff Tuesday in fear that the timeline won’t be met, but he expects the report will be complete “within months.”
He expects the report by the end of the year.
Egli wants more sponsorship spending in 2017
Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Keith Egli wants to spend more money on sponsorships in Canada’s 150th birthday year.
He put the finance and economic development committee on notice Tuesday that he’ll ask council for support to increase the minimum office spending on sponsorships so communities can hold special events in 2017.
Currently, council members can spend 3.5 per cent of their office budgets on sponsorships. In 2006, it amounts to $8,730.79 for each councillor.
Egli wants council to allow each councillor to spend an additional $5,000 from their office budgets in 2017 for “ward-based Ottawa 2017 community events.”
Last term, council agreed to set the 3.5-per-cent sponsorship cap to limit unchecked spending, although some councillors didn’t like it.
Watson was pretty clear when council approved the sponsorship cap, “the primary use of the office budget should be office expenses, not for giving out grants with very limited accountability,” he said at the time.
Will the mayor and council loosen the restrictions for Canada’s big birthday bash?
It’s worth pointing out there’s a municipal election in 2018.
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
查看原文...
The city will spend millions more on the first phase of LRT, since the feds have offered to pay half of the costs of some extra projects.
“I wasn’t going to turn down $156 million in federal dollars for projects, and as you know, a good portion of those dollars are for Phase 2,” Watson told reporters after a budget update for the finance and economic development committee.
However, there is $8.5 million in added work proposed, with half of the money coming from the feds. The other half would come from municipal taxpayers, money that’s outside the $2.1-billion LRT budget.
Watson defended the extra spending, maintaining, “I’m very confident that the project will remain on time and on budget.”
He explained it like this: “The reality is, this project was approved over four years ago and from time to time, just like when you buy a new house, once you’ve bought the house, there are certain things, if you happen to come into additional funds, you improve your house, and in this case we’re improving the LRT system.”
The list of projects proposed to be partly funded by the feds sailed through the finance and economic development committee without any questions. Council needs to sign off Sept. 14.
Next wave of reductions coming with 2017 budget
We’re officially on job watch at city hall.
City manager Steve Kanellakos shuffled his management team over the summer and now people are waiting for second wave of cuts to the municipal public service. There will likely be more information about the impact to positions in the draft 2017 budget.
It’s up to Kanellakos to come up with a plan, but council won’t be required to approve it because he had the authority to make those kinds of changes, Watson said.
“I’ve been briefed on a global perspective but not the specifics at this point,” Watson said.
Kanellakos will make decisions to “right-size” the organization, the mayor said.
“Those savings will go to the bottom line to ensure we don’t run a deficit” or impact frontline services, Watson said.
Kanellakos predicts the city will become “leaner and more cost-efficient” with whatever changes he had up his sleeve.
Some of the savings could be dumped into winter maintenance. Management wants to beef up the snow-clearing reserves to better prepare for major winter storms. The winter maintenance budget has taken a beating in recent years, plunging the public works department into deficits.
Watson believes tweaks to the snow-clearing program will pay off.
“My sense is by 2017 the public works operations budget will be break-even or surplus,” he said.
Sinkhole report will be ready by the end of 2016
We still don’t know what caused the sinkhole on Rideau Street in June. We expected a report by around this time last month.
Watson didn’t want to provide the “ballpark figure” he has received from staff Tuesday in fear that the timeline won’t be met, but he expects the report will be complete “within months.”
He expects the report by the end of the year.
Egli wants more sponsorship spending in 2017
Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Keith Egli wants to spend more money on sponsorships in Canada’s 150th birthday year.
He put the finance and economic development committee on notice Tuesday that he’ll ask council for support to increase the minimum office spending on sponsorships so communities can hold special events in 2017.
Currently, council members can spend 3.5 per cent of their office budgets on sponsorships. In 2006, it amounts to $8,730.79 for each councillor.
Egli wants council to allow each councillor to spend an additional $5,000 from their office budgets in 2017 for “ward-based Ottawa 2017 community events.”
Last term, council agreed to set the 3.5-per-cent sponsorship cap to limit unchecked spending, although some councillors didn’t like it.
Watson was pretty clear when council approved the sponsorship cap, “the primary use of the office budget should be office expenses, not for giving out grants with very limited accountability,” he said at the time.
Will the mayor and council loosen the restrictions for Canada’s big birthday bash?
It’s worth pointing out there’s a municipal election in 2018.
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
查看原文...
