Kincardine adds SMART van to budget, tax-rate increase now at 8.26%

Kincardine council held budget discussions at the start of the council meeting Wednesday night (Feb. 12) but was hampered by a number of things and failed to hammer out draft 2025 operating and capital budgets.

First off, due to an impending snowstorm, council met on Zoom, with seven members on-line; absent, were councillors Beth Blackwell and Stellina Williams.

Secondly, the meeting began at 4:30 p.m., and included not only the budget deliberations, but also the public meeting about the draft comprehensive zoning bylaw, and a full agenda of regular council business.

With regard to the budget, council agreed to include $230,000 for a nine-passenger van, purchased by the municipality and operated by Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit (SMART), for a one-year period, providing enhanced accessible transportation services in Kincardine.

The motion directed staff to draft an agreement with SMART for a one-year trial; and allocate $200,000 in the 2025 operating budget, with $40,000 funded through the tax levy and $160,000 (cost of the van) from the equipment replacement reserve fund through the operating budget.

The agreement will include confirmation that the municipality owns the van, and reporting of trial statistics to assist council in assessing the effectiveness of the enhanced service.

Deputy mayor Andrea Clarke supported the motion, which will provide additional service on evenings and weekends, similar to the hours before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Councillor Bill Stewart said he could not support the motion at this stage. He questioned where the van would be stored and who would cover the liability insurance for the drivers.

“There are too many unknowns,” he said. “It could turn out to cost us more than $300,000. I’d like to see a draft agreement first.”

Council also agreed to put an extra $440,000 in the budget, funded by the lifecycle reserve fund, to replace additional refrigeration components at the Tiverton Sports Centre, as per a facilities condition assessment report from DEI engineering.

In response to questions, engineer Mustafa Morsy said the report does not recommend replacing everything, just about 60 per cent of the components in the refrigeration plant at the sports centre.

The cooling tower is 11 years old but the municipality could likely get another nine years out of it, he said. Meanwhile, the ice pad is 35 years old but could provide another 15 years of use. Replacement costs would be about $1.2-million for both.

The motion was approved, including direction to staff to proceed with conceptual drawings for the Davidson Centre and the Tiverton Sports Centre which would account for accessibility deficiencies that exist in both facilities, to be presented to council at a later date.

Council then broke off budget discussions, as it continued through the public meeting and the regular council meeting, returning to the budget at the end, forcing an extension to 8:30 p.m.

At that point, treasurer Roxana Baumann said the tax-rate increase was at 8.26 per cent, including the costs for the SMART van.

As mayor Kenneth Craig urged council to consider approving the capital budget, leaving the operating budget for a later meeting, councillor Rory Cavanagh said there was information in the closed session that would have bearing on his decision about the capital budget.

In a recorded vote, the motion to approve the draft capital budget, as amended at the Feb. 12 meeting, was defeated, 4-3. Clarke, Craig and councillor Mike Hinchberger voted in favour, while Cavanagh, Stewart and councillors Amanda Steinhoff-Gray and Jennifer Prenger, voted against.

Council agreed to hold another separate meeting to finalize the budget.