Like a lot of local boards and committees this month, the focus is on money matters at October’s meeting of the Grand River Conservation Authority membership. The 2024 budget has come due for this board, and it may be the lowest increase of any board this year. Also of note, especially for those of us in Guelph, is a new piece of infrastructure at our eponymous lake in the north end. But that’s not all so check out the rest of the preview.
NOTE: This meeting will be in a hybrid format, broadcast from the GRCA Admin Centre on YouTube starting at 9:30 am.
Correspondence – Only one piece of mail this month, and it’s incoming. The letter is from Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra about the return of land that was removed from Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine last year.
Budget 2024 Draft #1 – To break it down succinctly, the GRCA is looking at a draft budget of $34,442,188 for next year, which is around $1.2 million more than in 2023. That’s not a big increase given the changes and pressures when it comes to a lot of municipal budgets, but there are pressures including inflation (obviously), aging infrastructure (also obviously), new technologies and new regulation and reporting requirements.
Budget Draft #1: Municipal Apportionment – This is basically the increased cost per municipality, and how much more each municipality pays depends on the number and types of services that the GRCA offers in that area. For all partner municipalities, the increase in apportionment for 2024 is just over $13 million with each municipality seeing an increase of between 1.3 and 7.4 per cent. Guelph’s increase will be on the low side at around 1.8 per cent.
Cash and Investment Status – As of the end of September, the GRCA had Notes Receivable in the amount of $62,237,634 with outstanding cheques written in the amount of $142,815.
Financial Summary – It looks like the GRCA will have a little over $500,000 in surplus at the end of the year if there are no big changes before December gets here. Operating expenses are down, and so are special project expenses, while self-generated revenue increased along with some funding into the reserve accounts. For the most part, it seems like the books are balanced.
2024 Board Meeting Schedule – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The 2024 GRCA board meeting schedule is going to look a lot like the 2023 schedule, so keep those Fridays open.
New Guelph Lake Nature Centre Update – Changes during the pandemic and changes to the programs that conservation authorities can provide has prompted some changes to the plan for the new nature centre, but having said that it looks like this project is finally set to go. Working with +VG Architects (the same group behind the redevelopment of 65 Delhi into supportive housing), the space will be smaller than original intended, but it will still offer accessible outdoor spaces with the latest tech all wrapped in a building form that would not be out of character for the Guelph/Eramosa area. The board is being asked to recommend that the project go out for tender.
Outdoor Environmental Education Program Review – Going along with the new Nature Centre is an update to it’s primary function: outdoor education. Those changes to conservation authorities mentioned above means that the funding for Outdoor Environmental Education Programs can no longer be covered through the municipal apportionment, so the GRCA needs to move to a cost recovery, or break even, business model. That will include more hybrid programs, relocating programs to GRCA properties, and maintaining staff for the delivery of school programs.
Provincial Offences Act Officer Appointments – This is a simple enough motion to re-appoint all the Provincial Offences Act Officers currently employed by the GRCA.
Conestogo Dam Bridge Deck Rehabilitation: Energy Attenuator Project Award – A request for quotes went out to five pre-approved contractors and they got two quotes back. The contract is going to Royal Fence Limited, who was the lowest bidder. The budget for the project is $142,450.
Permits Issued under Ontario Regulation 150/06 – Every quarter, GRCA staff provide a report about the number of permits authorized under policies for the Administration of Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses Regulation Ontario Regulation 150/06. In July, August and September there were 217 permits approved and issued, including 11 for Guelph.
Current Watershed Conditions – You may recall that it was pretty warm in September, with at least a couple of days over 30 degrees. Staff note that the watershed area had less than half the normal level of rain during the month, and even lower than half in some places like Brantford, which only saw nine per cent of the normal amount of rain. Fortunately, this has been somewhat compensated by higher than average rainfall during the summer months.
CLOSED MEETING:
It looks like there are two matters that need to be discussed in-camera, one concerning labour relations or employee negotiations, and the other about litigation or potential litigation.
Guelph Politico 