Council’s $4-million decision
What would you do with an extra $4 million?
St. Catharines city councillors have been compiling wish lists for a $4 million pot of money that had been set aside for a now-cancelled project.
From destination pools to affordable housing to tax freezes, councillors have plenty of ideas about how the newly-released funds could be spent.
“The sky is sort of the limit,” said budget standing committee chair Mat Siscoe, explaining the money isn’t targeted for anything right now.
The funds were reserved by St. Catharines Hydro for the Shickluna hydro electric plant project which was in the works for a more than a decade. That project was finally cancelled in February by city council during a special hydro shareholder meeting due to escalating costs that put it at $66 million and anticipated low rates of return.
A city staff report to the budget standing committee in June recommended the extra dividends in the amount of $4 million be put into various reserves.
The committee made up of six councillors, including the mayor, wasn’t able to come to a consensus on what to do with the money. They decided the 13-member city council should ultimately make the decision.
“At the end of the day, it’s $4 million and there’s a lot of priorities within the community,” said Siscoe, a St. Patrick’s ward councillor.
For his part, Siscoe said he’d like to see a grant come out of the money to help with the affordable housing crisis in St. Catharines.
“I’ve had really good discussions (with the Region) about how that could accentuate what the region is currently doing to improve the situation in affordable housing, but other councillors have other ideas,” Siscoe said.
City council is tentatively set to discuss the matter in a special meeting on Oct. 18.
Siscoe said they’re going to struggle with how the money should be spent because everyone has their own priorities.
“When it finally comes (to council), I can almost guarantee you it’s going to be a very long debate.”
St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik said he’d also like to see some funds go towards affordable housing, as well as the compassionate city project.
“If there’s an opportunity to utilize additional resources to continue to build that project, those would be two critical areas that would have a significant impact on the community,” Sendzik said.
“But it’s up to council to decide where is the best use. Hopefully we’ll make an informed decision in whatever way we go and it will be to the benefit of the community as a whole.”
St. George’s Coun. Sal Sorrento said he wants to see council freeze taxes for one year.
What’s leftover could be put in a fund and the interest could pay for certain projects, he said.
“There’s no shortage of options or places we can look to put the money to work,” he said. “On my wish list, I’d like to see that money go back to the taxpayer, give something back to us. I’m a taxpayer too.”
Sorrento said St. Catharines residents haven’t had a tax freeze in years.
Another idea would be to divide the money up among the six wards and pick ward-specific projects to improve the community, Sorrento said.
St. George’s Coun. Mike Britton and Merritton Coun. David Haywood want to see the money go towards parks.
In January, the budget committee received a report that said the city’s parks require $5 million in upgrades over the next five years, including to basketball and tennis courts. The parks department presented a five-year renewal plan.
Britton said if the city could eliminate most of that deficit, it would spend less on parks each year because right now they’re playing catch up.
“Parks just have so many benefits to our community from economic to health to environmental,” Britton said. “It checks off almost all the points of our strategic plan.”
Haywood said one third of parks are reportedly in such bad condition, they’re health and safety risks. The costs of fixing them goes up each year because of inflation.
“This has been on the radar for awhile and it’s my opinion it would have the biggest impact on residents in the city because it wouldn’t target just one area, it would target all the parks in the city,” Haywood said.
“Every ward, every resident would benefit. Out of everything, parks are the most used asset we have and why not re-invest in them?”
Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson said he’s not looking for any signature projects. He wants to see the money used for essential projects the city has now, like road and sewer work or to pay down debt.
“They’re not that glamorous but that’s what municipal governments are supposed to be focusing on,” Williamson said. “I think that’s the responsible thing to do.”
But some councillors said the money shouldn’t be spent at all right now.
“I don’t think we should be doing rash wish lists,” said St. Patrick’s Coun. Mark Elliott, adding planning is required to decide what the most important thing is to move the city forward.
“Especially entering an election year, I don’t think that we should be taking that money and quite honestly, doing anything with it.”
Elliott said the new council will come in with ideas and they should have an opportunity to have some financial resources to implement those ideas.
“This kind of gift, in a way, doesn’t come along every day, so let’s make sure we get it right. Let’s not rush into it. Let’s give it careful consideration,” Elliott said.
“Let’s look at all the components of our strategic plan from transportation to planning to whatever and decide ‘what is the most important thing we should use this for’ and do it at a time when it’s not political.
“A year before an election is an incredibly political time.”
Grantham Coun. Bill Phillips also said it should be put in the civic project fund with a new council coming in next year.
“We don’t see a lump sum like this coming to us very often, so we have to be very, very diligent in the direction we spend it,” Phillips said. “By placing it in the civic project fund until we really have some direction as to where we’re going, to me that’s the best thing to do.”
Phillips said he’s got a wish list that includes a new washroom at Sunset Beach, splash pads in two wards and a community destination pool. But they need to ensure they’re spending on the right things and get the best bang for the buck.
“It can’t be a case of ‘I just won the lottery, let’s go to the Mediterranean, buy a house, buy a car. ‘We need to plan down the road to make sure we spend it wisely.”
St. Andrew’s Coun. Joe Kushner said his preference is to put most of the money in the city’s civic project fund and use the interest for capital projects.
“I don’t really see the dire need for more expenditures,” he said.
He said a small portion of the money could be used for better bylaw enforcement and making the city more attractive by removing stumps and replanting trees, as well as putting some towards the destination pool which could go in Burgoyne Woods.
Fellow St. Andrew’s Coun. Matt Harris wants to use $1 million to leverage a partnership with Canada Summer Games on a new outdoor destination pool. He said the games will set up a portable pool in Niagara and the city could work to have it installed in St. Catharines.
“We work with Canada Summer Games and hopefully facilitate the pool that they have, and install it in the appropriate site,” Harris said.
Harris said another $1 million could go to parks, $1 million to reserves and $1 million to a new compassionate fund that could assist various groups that help people with affordable housing and other issues.
“I’m trying to figure out a way that everybody gets what they want,” Harris said.
The Standard was unable to reach Grantham Coun. Sandie Bellows, Merritton Coun. Jennie Stevens and Port Dalhousie Coun. Carlos Garcia.