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When the weather gets colder, budget discussions begin at town hall.

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After two days of intense deliberations last December, the city council ratified a 2024-2025 municipal operating budget totaling more than $1.5 billion – approximately $782.8 million in 2024 and $804.2 million in 2025. Councilors also adopted a four-year capital budget worth an additional $680 million. or so.

Tony Cecutti, the city’s general manager of growth and infrastructure, said earlier this week that a large portion of the city’s budget goes to his division.

The Growth and Infrastructure Department has been busy and has a solid slate of activities planned for next year. A technical review is underway; as well as work on the employment land strategy, which will “bring the servicing of industrial land to a shovel-ready state”.

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The city also talks a lot of trash these days. There has been some debate over whether or not to mandate clear garbage bags, and extensive discussions have taken place about the future of Greater Sudbury’s three landfills. As Cecutti pointed out, there are many changes underway in the environmental services sector.

“It is recognized that the management of our waste has a huge impact on the environment and the sustainability of our communities,” he said. “As controversial as this may seem, it is important that communities around the world think about how we manage waste at the municipal level and always think about doing things differently. Communities can have a significant impact.

Cecutti said major changes are coming from the blue box program. The recycling program has been in place for decades, but recently the provincial government took another look at it.

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“We are in the middle of the transition from the blue box program. I like to use the term producer responsibility,” Cecutti said. “Some people recognize that the blue box program may not have been the best approach to finding an environmentally sustainable solution. »

Cecutti said when recycling programs were created, it was the municipality’s responsibility to process the waste and bear the costs.

“The province has recognized that the true cost of this recycling should be borne by producers,” he said. “When you buy a product, you pay for the entire life cycle of that product. We will work on this legislation over the coming year. …The province will recognize more opportunities to make producers responsible for the full life cycle cost (of the product).

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Cecutti said competition will drive manufacturers to produce their products in a way that minimizes the need to recycle materials. He said that in coming years there should be “less need to use blue boxes”.

Within the planning services division, Cecutti said his staff continues to address housing through the housing supply strategy.

“We know it’s a high priority,” he said. “We have done a lot of work and there will be more work next year.”

Cecutti said Greater Sudbury is in the middle of a construction boom, which is great, but it has put pressure on the municipality and caused some delays.

“The construction market in Sudbury is extremely dynamic and remains so because of the pressure on minerals which allows our local businesses to do so well, but this creates a demand for employment opportunities which affects our ability to retain staff,” Cecutti said. It should be noted that there was some cooling in southern Ontario. He added that this could create local opportunities for next year.

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Cecutti said his department also continues to implement the water and wastewater master plan.

Council approved a 4.8 percent increase in water and wastewater rates last year, consistent with the long-range plan approved by the finance committee in June 2019. Staff said the increase reflects the cost of maintaining current programs at current service levels, as well as legislative changes and requirements.

The city’s $313.1 million water and sanitation plan includes an operating budget of $117.2 million spanning 2024 and 2025, as well as a capital budget of $195.9 million which will conclude in 2027. Significant capital investments were planned for 2024-2027, including $91.2 million for water mains. and sanitary sewers; and $88.7 million for water and wastewater treatment plants and other facilities.

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Staff said last year that the increase in water and wastewater usage costs in 2025 will be about $6.36 per month or $76.47 per year.

But they also anticipated that these fees could increase. A report presented last month said that given recent inflationary trends, “the recommended 4.8 percent annual increase in the rate should change, as current capital allocations are unlikely to meet long-term financial needs.” term to maintain services at levels approved by the board. »

Cecutti also mentioned the complete street guide. He said the work was nearing completion and was expected to be completed by the end of March 2025.

“The complete streets are an important element to deliver. I know the council has been waiting for this for a long time,” he told committee members. “It’s complex work. We plan to do some presentations in early 2025.”

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While city councilors adopted a two-year operating budget and a four-year capital budget last year, they may make changes and tinkering in the coming months before finalizing the 2025 budget.

The city announced last month that it would work to keep next year’s property tax increase to a maximum of 4.9 percent. To achieve that goal, staff was tasked with finding $7.8 million in savings.

Cecutti said his staff also continues to work on the expanded winter sidewalk maintenance program that launched in 2023.

To accommodate expanded maintenance services, the city hired three additional seasonal sidewalk snowplow operators earlier this year, at a cost of $285,000 ($95,000 in 2024 and $190,000 in 2025).

“We talked a lot about sidewalk maintenance; I doubt that will ever change,” he commented. “It’s something that people are interested in, and rightly so. We want a healthier community, and that means allowing people to move around with n whatever mobility device they have, as efficiently as possible I suspect this is something the community will always want us to focus on.

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