Key city services saved in 2010 budget
Key city services saved in 2010 budgetPosted Feb 12, 2010 By Rosalyn Stevens
Click to Enlarge
File
Key transit routes were among the crucial service cuts avoided in the city's 2010 budget decision. EMC News West end residents will see a number of benefits coming their way through the recently approved municipal budget.
Among the greatest benefits, councillors fought to save several threatened transit routes, which would have drastically changed the transit climate in the area. The annual tax increase was approved at 3.77%.
Bay ward Coun. Alex Cullen, who also chairs the city's transit committee, said the budget was a "victory for transit," with key community routes saved from the chopping block and the introduction of the U-Pass, which will expand transit service for students of Ottawa's universities.
In College ward, Coun. Rick Chiarelli said residents are also going to benefit from the saved transit routes, adding that new hires of both paramedics and police officers will increase community safety in the city.
River ward Coun. Maria McRae noted a number of smaller projects, including a new crosswalk at Fisher Ave. in front of St. Pius X Catholic High School. As well, water and waste pipes will be replaced along Carling Ave., from Kirkwood Ave. to Merivale Rd. Other projects include a restructuring of the traffic circle on Prince of Wales Dr., upgrades at the Carleton Heights Community Centre and child care centre on Caldwell Ave., and a structural review of Carlington's J. Alph Dulude arena.
In Kitchissippi ward, Coun. Christine Leadman said renewing funding for Crime Prevention Ottawa (CPO) was a key move, as the organization has been active in communities across the ward.
This year's budget was processed through the newly formed audit, budget and finance committee, which took requests from each committee of council and worked through the package to create a reasonable tax increase. However, some councillors said the process proposed cutting important services that would have changed levels of service and quality of life for many Ottawa residents.
"It's a compromise, right?" noted Coun. Chiarelli. "Every year we want to get the best possible service level at the lowest possible tax rate."
He said he'd like to see the city adopt a more affordable growth plan, similar to the style of payment adopted by the former City of Nepean.
"So I'm hoping the upcoming financial sustainability summit that we are conducting ... will help us get more toward the Nepean pay-as-you-go system by convincing members of council from other parts of the city of the value of making the inflation rate our rumble strip at budget time," he said.
Coun. Leadman said despite the new committee, she doesn't believe the process changed much from last year. She said the omnibus motion last year showed a similar effort by councillors to reduce taxes in one fell swoop, but added this year's package was much more harsh.
"The only difference was this had the audit, budget and finance committee, which took all the recommendations for all the committees, and then they slashed and burned," Coun. Leadman said.
The potential loss of CPO was a sticky issue for many residents and councillors, and Coun. Leadman said it's a program that needs more recognition so this situation doesn't come up again.
"I think people don't always see the value, in terms of what the CPO office has to offer," she said, adding that the organization has been able to leverage funding from several different avenues, like the Trillium Foundation or the provincial government, which the city cannot access.
"I think that was a huge trade-off when you look at the main concerns that people have in trouble areas, or any area of the city," she said. "Safety is always at the top of the list."
Regarding transit, Coun. Leadman said the proposal made no sense in a time when the city is looking to increase ridership and expand the system.
"They weren't cutting fat anymore," she said. "They were cutting into the muscle of the system."
Despite flaws in the process, most councillors said they were pleased with approval of projects throughout their wards. Coun. McRae said the work on the Prince of Wales traffic circle, for example, has been a long time coming.
"It has been broken for years,î she said, ìso construction will start this summer to fix it.î
In Bay ward, new countdown crosswalk signals at Carling Ave. and Woodroffe will benefit pedestrians in the area, and work will begin to rehabilitate streets and sidewalks throughout the ward. Lifecycle replacements will take place at a number of recreational centres, Coun Cullen said, including Barry Mullen Park, the Bayshore Field House, Britannia Park, and the Ron Kolbus-Lakeside Centre.
For more information on the approved budget, see www.ottawa.ca.
With files from Sheena Bolton.
|
|