November 29, 2024 Stratford Times Bad news for Stratford police’s George Street HQ CONTINUED FROM FRONT work which might see expansion in the small, vacant lot between the station and Chocolate Barr’s Candies. A new police station with more and bet- ter-utilized space has long been discussed due to the evolving needs of the local ser- vice and the area’s growth. Chief Greg Skinner had earlier stated he could find minutes dated 1991 indicating the service needed more space. Since this most recent push for more space, Skinner had met with a consultant the city is working with to explore wheth- er a new building or a renovation to the current station would be most effective. At the time, Skinner said that the avail- able space downtown ~ which is prefera- ble for police — that would be suitable as a station was negligible and the current station could support renovation, though likely wouldn’t be able to add space on top of the building. The recent opening of 798 Erie St., a sat- ellite police-services hub on the edge of town, is a “band-aid” fix, Skinner said. Additionally, during 2024 budget delib- erations last year, Stratford city council approved funds for the aforementioned accessibility ramp to finally pune the his- As Clarke said earlier, that project has stalled. “T understand the problem; it’s been a problem for 12 years since I joined the board,” police services board chair Tim Doherty said about the ongoing issues with the space. “No personal correction or offence intended ... but until the poli- ticians give us the money.” “The issue is that (if) the existing lo- cation is failing us, then that becomes a different story,” Skinner said. “And if that 28,000 square feet that is currently under roof at 17 George and 100 St. Patrick, if that's no longer available to us and we're doing a demolition and full rebuild, that’s an expensive endeavour. And I would suggest that if that is even close to where we're at, then we may be better off to be looking at empty, vacant land and a new building. Skinner estimated that a $25-30 million price tag is a conservative estimate for hat the 30,000 square-foot building proj- ect would cost — though he noted there are options available to finance a big-ticket police item. Mayor Martin Ritsma, who sits on the board, inquired about a recent update that had ‘Skinner meet with the city’s top ad- toric building in the Ac- cessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which mandates that all public build- ings be made barrier-free and accessible yy 2025. Council, with the understanding that a major renovation may be in the near fu- ture, lowered the funds for a full concrete ramp and instead provided enough funds for a metal, removable ramp, along with an accessible door. O Joan Thomson, to pre- pare a report for council’s consideration ‘on the police station. Skinner confirmed that he and Thomson have met, but they have not gotten to the stage where a report or mock-up of a new or renovated station can be presented. Skinner also revealed there have been over 20 complaints made to the Ontario Ministry of Labour related to the space. Although a recent investigation from the ministry and an effort from ROYAL N00 Ere St Sates Real Estate Broker Direct: 519-272-3578 AUUUUUUMUUUUUUTUMANE LeEPAGE Baliltamccils m0, aa rowed ns Operates chert € email: sherrieroulston@royallepage.ca police jeadentib resulted in the complaints being recti- fied, Skinner said the com- plaints are indicative of ser- vice members’ frustration with the space as well Draft budget projects 5.9 per-cent tax rate increase for 2025 CONTINUED FROM FRO? According to the treasurer’s summary in- cluded in the budget, the 2025 draft budget is focused on maintaining current service levels and incorporating goals.important for the community. Operating expenses are expected to in- crease by $14 million compared to last year, sitting at $33.5 million, and non-taxation revenues are expected to rise by $8 million to $20 million. Capital projects are expected to cost $37 million next year. The most expensive proj- ects included are mainly road-reconstruc- tion projects like the Avondale and Avon re- construction priced at $5.6 million, though the capital plan lists federal and provincial funding for said project. For that specific reconstruction, $3 million is on tap from upper levels of government. Expansion requests are not included in the 5.9 per-cent levy increase and, if approved by council, will raise the rates. If all requests are approved, they will add just over $3.4 million or 2.29 per cent to the total levy. Most expansion requests come in the form of staffing, of which 14.5 full-time equiva- lent positions are being suggested across multiple departments. This year is also the first time that cor- porate services has structured a multi-year operating budget with the intent to focus on this year but also look at the period between 2026 and 2028. “Council will only be approving thé 2025 budget, but this forward-looking approach for operations as well as capital require- ments through the 10-year forecast should assist in efforts to create cost predictabili- ty,” the treasurer’s summary reads. “It is the first year, so it will require a lot of additional work through the upcoming year to identify those higher-risk and more volatile revenues and expenses and set parameters around discretionary i impacts. Last year’s tax rate began at 8.27 per cent and fluctuated during deliberati council expanded and cut different line items, until it was approved at 7.51 per cent. This year is noticeably less, but as noted in the treasurer’s summary of the draft, 2 was a year of “higher-than-historic” infla- tion and general uncertainty regarding fi- o 5 Inces. Interested residents can use the property tax calculator to see a dollar-breakdown of the budget — where each dollar of their taxes goes to. For instance, for the average home as- sessed at $350,000, $602.39 goes towards the engineering, roads, fleet, waste and storm divisions’ operations, $625.41 goes towards the Stratford Fire Department op- erations, and $848.80 goes to the Stratford Police Service’s operations, the three largest pieces of the city’s operating budget. Notably, the ee. se that is key to what residents pa h year comes from the Municipal Propet Assessment Corpo- ration ae? rather than the market value ofah the. ie a time a general provincewide assessment occurred was in 2016, before housing prices exploded across much of the country. Last summer, the Ontario govern- ment amended the Assessment Act bos ex- tend the postponement of the reassessment through to the end of the 2021-2024 ce ment cycle. A oe s assessed value is in- cluded on tax bill The first full ai of budget deliberations occurred on Nov. 28, after press time. Two Dec. 3 and Dec. 9. A full report on the meet- ings will be included in the Dec. 13 edition of the Stratford Times. The full, 620-page draft budget can be found at www.stratford.ca/en/inside-city- hall/resources/CORPORATE-SERVICES/ FINANCE/Budget/2025-Budget/MAS- TER-digital-2025-draft-budget-package. pdf. SUBMIT YOUR LETTER TO THE EDITOR TO US! CALL 519-655-2341 OR Fes for you! TRATFORD EMAIL STRATFORDTIMES@GMAIL.COM