City Council — February 2016

Here's the YouTube live stream for today's city council budget meeting. Still doing presentations and such. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uVDTJWBT7k

Perks moves that council consider tax rates at same time as budget. Chair nixes that. Chair challenged, but upheld.

IIRC, Ford admin started tactic of getting councillors to approve tax rate before budget debate. Makes it hard to change service levels.

City Planning's 2015 report includes a good development map. Also: some really nice art. http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/pg/bgrd/backgroundfile-90606.pdf

City manager's short list of coming budget risks and challenges. It's just $22B in unmet needs, NBD.

Coun. Perks moves to increase residential property tax increase to 3.9%. If that fails, he also has motion to increase non-res rates.

And now it's time for annual Coun. Mammoliti totally unfunded property tax freeze motion.

Talk of motion cutting the police budget by $25 million is interesting, because in theory it'd almost allow for a residential tax freeze...

...except it's probable that tax rates will already be voted on and approved by the time we get to that motion.

Coun. Davis has a motion to raise property taxes by additional 1.15%, to offset one-time reserve draws and fund 350 childcare subsidies.

Councillors struggling to understand this motion by Coun. Karygiannis. I am baffled by it.

If I'm following this debate correctly, Toronto's 2016 budget is an iceberg smothered in secret sauce.

Minnan-Wong: "I don't see Councillor Layton saying 'vote for me, I'll raise your taxes!" Layton: "On a point of privilege, that's implied."

Minnan-Wong gives standard anti-tax speech, in which he explains that he's talked to people and those people do not want to pay more taxes.

I'd love to see a business try that strategy. "We've talked to our customers, and frankly they do not want to pay for our products."

Major point of contention on the council floor now is that the tax increase in the budget is in fact below the current inflation rate.

Council rejects Gord Perks motion to increase res prop tax increase to 3.9%. 9-33.

Perks' second motion, to raise non-res taxes, fails 12-30.

Mammoliti's motion to freeze property taxes fails 1-41. "Where's Rob FORD?" he bellows.

Davis motion to raise property tax increase by 1.02% to offset reserve draws FAILS 11-31.

Davis motion to increase res tax by 0.13 to fund childcare subsidies FAILS 12-30.

Carroll motion to increase res property tax to actual rate of inflation at 1.6% FAILS 12-30.

Karygiannis' incomprehensible motion about funding transit in his ward or something FAILS 2-40.

And Toronto property tax rates for 2016 are passed 30-13.

All in, including budget, subway, CVA shift, policy shift & education, average home will see increase of $83.70 on annual tax bill.

And by "average home" I mean a home assessed at a value of $549,586. Toronto real estate, man.

Councillor Layton says he'll move a motion today to eliminate the rebate for the XL garbage bin. I wrote about this: http://www.metronews.ca/views/toronto/torys-toronto-matt-elliott/2016/01/31/toronto-subsidizing-most-wasteful-with-garbage-bin-rebate.html

Time for budget speeches. Coun. Thompson has five motions. I bet at least one of them is about the police.

All five of Thompson's motions are about reducing the police budget. HIs first ask is to reduce their 2016 budget by about $25m.

Here are Coun. Michael Thompson's Police budget motions.

Some of those offsets are important programs. Basically, Thompson would take police money and put it toward transit, childcare, parks, etc.

(Also, the list of offsets make it obvious which councillors Thompson has been successfully negotiating with over the last few days.)

"If Motion Z fails, reduced the proposed 2016 Police Services Operating Budget by $1.35." https://x.com/goldsbie/status/700084782789623808

Coun. Mihevc says he thinks it's "inappropriate" for police chief to lobby council members on budget the day before vote.

Coun. Stephen Holyday has some motions to reduce councillor and mayor office budgets. Also to put library fines on the property tax bill.

Coun. Wong-Tam has a motion to get a report on reinstating the Vehicle Registration Tax.

Coun. Cressy: "I don't believe this budget is forward. I don't believe this budget is backward." It's twirling.

Five minute recess and then council will vote on a bunch of budget motions. Thompson's police budget changes will be up first.

Councillor Thompson's motion to flat-line the police budget at 2015 levels (decrease by $24 million) FAILS 12-28.

Thompson's motion to cut police budget request by $20 million FAILS 12-28.

Thompson's motion to cut police budget request by $18 million FAILS 12-28.

Thompson's motion to cut police budget request by $12 million also fails 12-28.

So: police budget remains as it was in original request. But you have to admire Coun. Thompson for not throwing away his shot.

Thompson's motion to expedite implementation of KPMG recommendations re: police budget passes 41-1. Mammoliti stands alone.

Stephen Holyday motion to reduce councillor office budgets FAILS 1-41. Holyday stands alone.

Another Holyday motion to reduce councillor and mayor office budgets FAILS 7-35.

Davis motion to add 350 childcare subsidies FAILS 18-24.

Davis motion to add $500K for skateboard facilities PASSES 23-18.

Layton motion to eliminate the rebate for XL garbage bins FAILS 17-25. But wait, we're re-voting on that one.

Re-vote on Layton's motion to eliminate the rebate for the biggest garbage bin still FAILS 19-23.

Cressy motion to take $220K out of police budget and put it toward Youth Development Unit PASSES 25-17.

Doucette motion to add $25K to fund skating on Grenadier Pond passes 25-16.

Shiner motion to axe proposed $75 admin fee for land transfer tax FAILS 11-30.

Shiner motion to set XL garbage bin rebate at $0 fails 11-31.

The return of mayoral vote cheat sheets. https://x.com/Janet_Davis/status/700133038299049984

Tory motion to add $1.25 m for childcare subsidies PASSES 39-3.

Holyday motion (amended by Carroll) for report on a land transfer tax stabilization reserve PASSES 32-9.

Holyday motion to ask province to allow T.O. library to put fines on property tax bill FAILS 4-37.

Coun. Wong-Tam motion for a report on bringing back the V! R! T! fails 12-30.

Budget as it pertains to Toronto Police Services passes 30-12.

Remainder of city budget for 2016 as amended carries 33-9. See you next year.