September 25, 2019 Page 1 of 31 Meeting Date: September 25, 2019 - - PDF document

Meeting Date: September 25, 2019 Submitted by: Tiffany Farrell, Director of Corporate Services Report No: CPS-68-2019 Subject: Budget Survey Results Recommendation:

That the budget survey results report be received.

Purpose:

To provide Council with information following the 2020 Budget engagement initiatives, specifically the budget survey published in August 2019.

Background:

In 2019 staff has been focusing on implementing ways to engage our residents in the municipal budget creation for 2020. In August staff created an interactive online survey, in which the result is being presented to Council.

Analysis: The budget survey was posted to the Municipal website in August 2019 and the municipality received 311 responses. Over 85% of respondents thought the services they received were either fair, good or excellent, compared to 79% last year. Information obtained in the municipal survey will be included in the creation of the 2020 budget. Financial Implications: N/A Strategic Plan: This matter aligns with following strategic priorities:

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• 4b. Community & Neighbourhood Preservation: Promoting a sense of community

engagement, pride, and belonging.

• 5a. Operational Excellence: Maintaining positive staff-community relations.
• C฀฀฀฀฀ ฀฀ ฀฀฀฀฀

Attachments: A1 Budget Survey Results

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Tiffany Farrell, CPA, CA Director of Corporate Services

Presentation to Municipal Council | September 25, 2019

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 Developed with input from staff,

council and the public

• Survey is one component of

public input

• Further opportunity for discussion

at public information sessions

 Sept 11 – asset management  Sept 25 – property tax and MPAC

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 Opened to public in August  Online via Survey Monkey platform  Advertised through social media, residents e-newsletter, website  Received 311 responses

• 203 responses in 2018
• 89 responses in 2017

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 10 questions total  Most questions outlined services and their costs, and then asked residents

if the services should be:

• enhanced
• maintained
• reduced
• unsure or doesn’t matter

 1 question provided opportunity for suggestion or comment  2 questions related to community

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Geographic Distribution of Results

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Q10 - Where in Middlesex Centre do you live?

Answered: 266 Skipped: 45

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Ward Electors % of Electors # of surveys received* % of survey total by ward 1 3,172 26% 100 38% 2 1,866 15% 20 8% 3 1,944 16% 50 19% 4 3,513 28% 70 27% 5 1,840 15% 22 8%

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*where survey respondent indicated ward September 25, 2019 Page 9 of 31

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Q11 - Would you describe your home as being in a rural or urban setting?

Answered: 265 Skipped: 46

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Support for Service Costs

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Q1 - In 2019, the average homeowner will pay $724 in municipal taxes to support public works and engineering. This includes:

• roads maintenance

(including winter snow clearing)

• waste management
• municipal drainage

Should this service be:

Answered: 311 Skipped: 0

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Q2 - In 2019, the average homeowner will pay will pay $470 in municipal taxes to support programs that protect people and property. These programs include:

• policing = $257
• fire services = $175
• CAs = $32
• by-law enforcement = $6
• building = $0

Should this service be:

Answered: 301 Skipped: 10

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Q3 - In 2019, the average homeowner will pay $195 in municipal taxes to support Community Services. Should this service be:

Answered: 294 Skipped: 17

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Q4 - In 2019, the average homeowner will pay $196 in municipal taxes to support General Government Services. Should this service be:

Answered: 288 Skipped: 23

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Q5 - This year, the average homeowner will pay $127 in municipal taxes to cover

• perational costs for

maintaining the municipal fleet. This includes fuel, oil, repairs and maintenance, fleet software costs, and salaries. Should this service be:

Answered: 285 Skipped: 26

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Q6 - In 2019, the average homeowner will pay $400 in municipal taxes to support municipal capital projects. Should this service be:

Answered: 282 Skipped: 29

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Support for Hospital Capital Donation

Image: https://www.strathroy-caradoc.ca

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Q7 - Would you support a municipal donation to the Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital Foundation to support capital purchases for the hospital?

Answered: 282 Skipped: 29

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Overall Value for Tax Dollars

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Q8 - How would you rate the overall value received for your Municipality of Middlesex Centre tax dollars? Remember, your annual tax bill is made up of taxes from Middlesex Centre, Middlesex County and taxes paid to your preferred school board.

Answered: 281 Skipped: 30

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 Over 85% of respondents thought the

services they received were either fair, good or excellent, compared to 79% last year.

 High Five to the Municipal employees

and Council!

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Suggestions and Comments

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 178 respondents  More than 200 suggestions/responses owing to multiple

comments per person

 Responding to Comments:

• All comments compiled and provided to departments for response

(grouped into topic areas).

• Response document will be posted to website with this
• presentation. Overview follows.

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 Several of the suggestions dealt with issues outside of

municipal control:

• Education
• Social Services (support for seniors, seniors housing, opioid

crisis)

• Concerns related to County Roads (widening, crosswalks,

safety)

 Where appropriate, these issues will be shared with lead

agency or government department.

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 Middlesex Centre has the second lowest tax rate in the County.

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1.14% 1.25% 1.18% 1.59% 1.37% 1.35% 1.22% 1.01% 0.00% 0.20% 0.40% 0.60% 0.80% 1.00% 1.20% 1.40% 1.60% 1.80% Middlesex Centre Adelaide Metcalfe Lucan-Biddulph Newbury North Middlesex Southwest Middlesex Strathroy-Caradoc Thames Centre

Middlesex County Residential Tax Rates Comparison (2018) September 25, 2019 Page 26 of 31

Middlesex Centre is simply not a large enough municipality to support our own pool. Typically, communities need to have a population of 40,000 or higher to justify the need for a pool. An indoor pool typically loses approximately a half a million dollars annually and are considered ‘loss leaders’. Council could approve to move forward with one however we would need to be prepared to lose money on

• it. Costs are high due to:

The legislative requirement to waste 20 litres of water per bather per day as per the health code. I.e. if you had 500 bathers in one day you legally need to dump 10,000 litres that day as required by the health department which then needs to be heated and conditioned. Lifeguarding costs are high due to the ratios required by the health department. Costs to maintain over and above the need to lose water each day. Pools generate a lot of hydro to heat, dehumidify and run filter pumps etc. Pools are extremely expensive to construct and maintain over their lifetime. With St Mary’s, City of London and YMCA facilities not that far away there really isn’t a need at this time.

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The need for a dog park was presented to the community services advisory

• committee. As a result, a fenced dog park is tentatively included in the 2020

budget (this will be pending council approval). There are a few possible locations for the park. A public information meeting will be held later in 2019 to gather feedback on a preferred location.

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The Municipality’s Winter Maintenance aims to provide safe roads and sidewalks during the winter season at an affordable price. The Municipality’s has a 24/7 response team. This response team maintains the Municipality’s 583 kms of roadway, and 24 kms of sidewalks. The Municipality also tracks weather conditions and deploys road temperature sensors outfitted to its fleet which monitors our roads for snow and ice detection. We have an established plan and routes for clearing snow, and ask that you refrain from calling during the first day of a snow event. After the snowfall ends, it can take:

• 8-12 hours to clear priority roads, and
• For all Municipal roads approximately 24 hours.

A larger or continuous snowfall event may extend the time necessary to clear snow from local streets and cul-de-

• sacs. Our contracted sidewalk snow removal service is done using mechanical equipment and while sidewalks are

able to be cleared to a snow packed condition, the equipment does not allow for clearing down to bare pavement. The Municipality follows the provincially prescribed standards for winter maintenance (Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, O. Reg. 239/02). Roads are categorized into five main classes. Class 1, 2 and 3 or priority roads, which include arterial and some secondary collectors, take first priority. Classes 4 and 5, which include local streets and cul-de-sacs, have less priority.

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 September 25, 2019 MPAC and

Property taxes Open House

 October 2019 - Budgeting 101

Council Presentation

 Fall 2019 - Council

Presentations on the capital and

• perating budgets

 Completion of Budget Bylaw and

Tax Rate Bylaw

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farrell@middlesexcentre.on.ca 519-666-0190 ext. 224 middlesexcentre.on.ca @MiddlesexCentre @MiddlesexCentre

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