Mayor John Tory opens council’s budget debate by talking about a recent report on the city’s credit rating. The city’s credit rating has not changed since 2001. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2018/bu/bgrd/backgroundfile-110765.pdf
Before today’s budget meeting really gets going, familiarize yourself with this Toronto City Council alignment chart by the chaotically good @neville_park. https://nevillepark.ca/2018/02/11/the-city-council-dd-alignment-chart/
Despite an attempt by Coun. Gord Perks to get the mayor to do things differently, Tory is sticking with the ol’ Ford/Towhey strategy of having council vote on property tax rates BEFORE they debate the budget.
.@towhey’s book “Uncontrollable” explains the 2011 origins of this budget debate strategy, which has continued under Tory.
City Manager Peter Wallace: “So effectively this budget — as 2016, 2017 — continues to count on an implicit assumption that land transfer tax will continue to grow.”
Speaker Nunziata calls a ten minute recess to deal with the banner and silence the clever rhyming chants from homeless advocates.
Coun. Cesar Palacio: What strategies are in place, in the long term, to create a sustainable and predictable budget so we don’t have eternal reliance on the land transfer tax? City Manager Peter Wallace: There are no strategies at this time.
Coun. Mihevc gets staff to confirm that the city would have an extra $500 million in spending room if per-capita spending levels were at the same level now as they were in 2010.
City Manager Peter Wallace says there will be a report on revenue tools coming to council this spring. Call me cynical, but I don’t think there’s going to be much appetite for serious discussion during an election year.
The 2018 budget process has been 100% iceberg-free, as far as I know. My theory: the iceberg got too popular and city bureaucrats were concerned about wild cheering and chanting disrupting procedure. https://x.com/lzamparo/status/963097166456721409
Perks points out that because multi-residential taxes are frozen for 2018, a slightly higher residential tax increase would increase services for renters without increasing their tax liability.
Perks says the city has never foreclosed on a property because the owner couldn’t afford property tax increases. “You would be a lunatic to sell a $600,000 home to help you avoid paying an extra $60 in taxes a year - which is about what my motion would do. $5 a month.”
Mammoliti is grandstanding, as he does every year. He wants a 0% property tax increase across all property classes. That won’t leave much flexibility to overpay on land for parking lots, to say nothing of the city’s ability to buy very large flag poles.
Coun. Joe Cressy moves to increase the property tax discount for “creative co-location facilities” like 401 Richmond from the proposed 30% to 50%.
Duelling tax increase motions! Where Gord Perks wanted 4% residential, Coun. Mike Layton proposes 2.9%. https://x.com/TorontoCouncil/status/963146428154568705
Coun. John Campbell (a budget committee member) says he didn’t hear any deputations this year about the need for more arts funding, or increased student nutrition program support. So he wonders if planned increases are really necessary. A good reminder that deputations do matter
Another property tax increase motion. This one is from Coun. Janet Davis. It’s a 0.32 percent increase to generate $9.2 million, matching provincial funding for childcare programs. https://x.com/TorontoCouncil/status/963152387878760448
Coun. Josh Matlow hopes this is the last year council votes on the tax rates before they debate the budget. It’s “stupid, irresponsible and back-asswards,” he says. Then he repeats it: “back-asswards.”
It’s like he really wants to break out of that True Neutral box.
Budget chief Gary Crawford says the last four years of city budgets prove it’s possible to increase services & make investments while also keeping property taxes below inflation.
This budget process feels like the middle of an episode of E! True Hollywood story. We’re firmly in the part of the narrative where everyone has convinced themselves the good times will last forever.
Coun. Perks’ motion to levy a 4% residential property tax increase in 2018 FAILS 9-33. “I got Jaye Robinson!” exclaims Perks.
Robinson’s vote is, of course, a mistake. They’ll revote on the 4% property tax thing. “Please watch those fingers,” cautions Nunziata.
On a re-vote, Coun. Gord Perks’ motion to increase the residential property tax rate by 4% in 2018 FAILS 8-34.
Coun. Layton’s motion to set the residential property tax increase at 2.9% FAILS 13-29.
Coun. Cressy’s motion to set the property tax discount for creative buildings at 50% PASSES 36-6.
Nunziata now brings up the time last year when councillors accidentally unbalanced the budget by voting against street sweeping. She’s not going to allow councillors to do stuff like that this year, she says.
Council is now debating Coun. Josh Matlow’s motion to move forward on a city sales tax. Bold. https://x.com/TorontoCouncil/status/963186010522832898
Meanwhile, Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti has moved a motion to fire the city’s Chief Transformation Officer and eliminate Toronto’s anti-poverty strategy, amongst other things. A waste of time for all involved. https://x.com/TorontoCouncil/status/963199672180510722
This is a pretty good motion from Coun. Fragedakis: use parking revenue to pay for $2 million in TTC service to reduce overcrowding.
Coun. Holyday has a motion to fund TTC two-hour timed transfers with a fare increase, instead of increased subsidy.
Here’s Coun. Doucette’s motion to get a report on bringing back the Vehicle Registration Tax, with some exemptions/discounts this time.
Coun. Joe Cressy gets in a good line: “It’s not taxes that are making the city unaffordable; it’s political fear of taxes that are making the city unaffordable.”
Coun. Neethan Shan won’t support getting a report on bringing back the Vehicle Registration Tax. He says it’s a regressive tax.
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam has five motions: 1) Section 37 funds for affordable housing 2) Bring back the vehicle registration tax for transit & housing 3) Improve 311, park maintenance, etc 4) Gender-responsive budgeting 5) More shelter beds Could be a pretty good mayoral platform
In a bit of a surprise, Coun. Ana Bailao says she’ll support Matlow’s motion for a city sales tax. Interesting!
Coun. Shiner says people can’t afford higher property taxes, citing the fact that the average home in the city is valued at less than a million dollars. Really stretching the definition of poor there.
Some shady late night budget stuff going on. Budget chief Gary Crawford has moved to direct funds for parks improvement in the wards repped by Palacio & De Baeremaeker, from a land acquisition reserve never before used for this purpose. When asked why, he just sort of… shrugs?
Coun. Mammoliti’s motion to amalgamate all Toronto housing offices for a bonanza of savings or whatever FAILS 4-38.
Mammoliti did not intend to vote against his own motion, obviously, so councillors are having some fun with that. We’re re-voting.
On re-vote, Coun. Mammoliti’s motion to amalgamate all Toronto affordable housing offices (no one knows what this means!) FAILS 5-37. But Davis voted wrong. But we’re moving on anyway!
Mammoliti’s motion to have council upload all child care programs to the province (like they’d ever agree!) FAILS 10-32.
Mammoliti motion to ELIMINATE THE POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY thankfully FAILS 1-41.
Mammoliti motion to ask province to replace the Finch LRT plan with bus rapid transit FAILS 3-39.
Mammoliti motion to ask province to assume responsibility for long-term care homes FAILS 17-25.
Mammoliti motion to ask province to assume responsibility for the Gardiner and Highway 27 CARRIES 31-11. Good luck with that!
Mammoliti motion to ask province to assume responsibility for all new GO stations in Toronto CARRIES 29-13.
Mammoliti motion asking the province to cut the size of Toronto City Council in half FAILS 11-31.
Mammoliti motion to eliminate the Chief Transformation Officer position (which has already been filled) FAILS 5-37.
Mammoliti motion to remove 48 new Children’s Services positions from the 2018 budget FAILS 2-40.
Mammoliti motion to remove 50 new temp capital project jobs from the parks & rec budget FAILS 5-37.
Mammoliti motion to remove 11 new temp social services positions from the budget FAILS 4-38.
Mammoliti motion to remove 16 new traffic warden jobs (hired to direct traffic at intersections) from the budget FAILS 1-41.
And thus ends the Mammoliti motion portion of the evening. Thanks for sticking with it.
Fragedakis motion to increase TTC budget by $2 million to address overcrowding, funded with parking revenue, CARRIES 36-6.
De Baeremaeker motion to remove proposed requirement that councillor constituency offices by located in city-owned buildings FAILS 20-22.
Holyday motion that two-hour timed TTC transfers be funded through a fare increase FAILS 6-36.
Crawford’s shady motion to fund parks improvement in De Baeremaeker’s ward FAILS on a tie, 21-21.
The second part of Crawford’s motion, to fund improvements at another park in De Baeremaeker’s ward CARRIES 25-17.
Third and final part of Crawford’s motion, to fund park improvements in Palacio’s ward, FAILS 20-22. That was all very weird!
Matlow motion to request province share HST revenue with Toronto and other municipalities CARRIES 38-4.
Matlow motion to move forward with Toronto sales tax if HST share isn’t granted FAILS 19-23.
Doucette motion to get a report on bringing back the vehicle registration tax FAILS 13-29.
Coun. Robinson voted the wrong way. So we re-vote on Doucette’s Vehicle Registration Tax motion. It FAILS, 13-29.
Holyday motion to get a report on reducing city reliance on the land transfer tax CARRIES 33-9.
Another re-vote on Doucette’s Vehicle Registration Tax motion, because Karygiannis voted wrong. It FAILS again, 12-30.
Wong-Tam motion requesting report on improving service levels at 311, for park maintenance, street cleaning, etc CARRIES 35-7.
Wong-Tam motion to expedite expansion of 1,000 permanent shelter beds CARRIES 34-8.
Davis motion to request province follow through on its plans to address high child care costs CARRIES 41-1.
Toronto’s amended 2018 budget as it relates to everything that might be connected to Rogers Inc CARRIES 39-2. (Tory has a conflict of interest, so can’t vote.)
Toronto’s amended budget as it relates to news summary services provided by Canada Newswire (Tory has a conflict of interest here too) CARRIES 40-1.
And that’s the final budget of this term of council. Toronto’s next budget will be debated by a new, presumably larger council.