Dilkens won't veto downtown overhaul
Mayor Drew Dilkens says he will respect city council's decision on whether to support new plans to revive downtown — including his proposal to pay for it by reopening Windsor's budget.
But should councillors reject the latest revitalization plan, the mayor is challenging them to come up with their own proposals for “the problem that we collectively face” in the core.
In an interview on Friday, Dilkens told the Star he will not veto any council-approved amendments to a mayoral decision on the matter announced April 23, even though he has the power to do so under Ontario's “strong mayor” legislation.
To pay for the downtown plan, Dilkens proposes increasing
Windsor's operating budget by roughly $3.2 million, which will require a further 0.7 per cent property tax hike.
Council will decide May 13 whether to endorse “Strengthen the Core,” the multi-part downtown revitalization plan based on recommendations by hired consultant Strategycorp. Council will also decide whether to expand hours of service at the Housing and Homelessness Help Hub and boost police presence in the core, among other things.
Dilkens said it's his “statutory obligation” under changes to the Municipal Act — Bill 3, the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022 — to bring forward any mid-year budget amendments through a mayoral decision. The Municipal Act now gives “strong” mayors the responsibility to table municipal budgets and bring forward any amendments.
“If this matter had been ready in time for budget, which was produced in December of last year, and in time for debate in January of 2024, then we wouldn't have had to have a midterm budget amendment,” Dilkens said.
“I wasn't going to put money in (the budget) for a plan that wasn't yet prepared. I needed it to be ready before I even considered adding it to the budget. Now, because it (the downtown revitalization plan) is ready, I'm required to follow this process.”
If council decides not to implement the Strengthen the Core plan, Dilkens said, “I want to know what their solution is to fix the problem that we collectively face.”
Dilkens presented the Strengthen the Core plan last week during a media event outside city hall. If approved by council, the plan will see 12 police officers dedicated to the core, a bylaw officer dedicated to enforcing property standards in Ward 3, collaborative efforts to establish a mental health and addiction crisis centre, more incentives to update and develop downtown properties, and more.
Under provincial legislation, council can approve amendments to decisions made from heads of council with strong mayor powers. The mayor can veto council amendments — something Dilkens insists he will not do on the downtown issue — and council would then need a two-thirds majority vote to override a mayoral veto.
In Windsor's case, that would require eight of the 11 council members to agree (the mayor also has a vote).