September is here so it’s time for the new, fully staffed city council to get back to work. As usual, the month begins with a Committee of the Whole meeting, and a slate of reports that might be described as technocratic, or perhaps even boring (if you’re being cynical) kick things off. Money matters, staff recognitions, some new affordable housing measures, and a potential new bylaw to tackle graffiti are all on the agenda for the first meeting of fall!
NOTE #1: Delegates will be able to appear at this meeting in-person or via tele-presense but you do have to register with the clerks office before 10 am on Friday August 29. You can also submit written delegations and correspondences for agenda items.
NOTE #2: In addition to meeting in-person, this meeting will also be live-streamed on the City of Guelph’s website here.
NOTE #3: This meeting will take place on the special day of Wednesday due to the Labour Day long weekend, and will be preceded by a special meeting of council.
STAFF RECOGNITIONS:
1) Joey Tang, Legislative Co-ordinator with the City Clerk’s Office, has achieved their AMCTO Diploma in Municipal Administration.
2) Stephan Schmied, Advisor for Corporate and Community Strategic Initiatives has graduated from the City of Guelph’s Lean Green Belt Program.
3) Kierra Cali, Continuous Improvement Specialist, has graduated from the City of Guelph’s Lean Black Belt Program.
4) Retired Guelph Fire Chief Brian Arnold received a King’s Coronation Medal.
PRESENTATIONS:
Service Profile: Information Technology – Committee periodically hears from a City department to learn more about it, and this month it will be all about I.T. Adam Fischer, General Manager of Information Technology, will talk about the work of his department and how it supports the goals of the Official Plan.
WSIB Impacts for Emergency Services – The City is facing rising costs from workplace injury claims by employees of Guelph Fire and Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Services; in fact, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board expenses are expect to nearly double from their 2023 budget by 2027. This report outlines how much of that is due to mental health issues stemming from post-traumatic stress, and how the City is trying to add more support and develop new strategies to help staff cope. Also, they’re banking on trying to get more money out of the Ontario government.
Graffiti By-law – No formal report for this item is attached to the agenda, but there is a name: Mayor Cam Guthrie. He will speak to this motion, which will ask staff for a report and a draft bylaw by the end of March that will “prohibit individuals from placing, causing or permitting graffiti to be placed on any property, and to require that owners keep their property free of graffiti.”
Facilities Cleaning Services Value for Money Audit – City of Guelph facilities are pretty clean, but the cost of cleaning is generally on the rise. Having said that, it’s hard to determine monetary value, but the audit did determine that staff levels in this area are below industry standards and that the City doesn’t have clear standards and oversight when it comes to cleaning services. The audit also looked at centralizing services and outsourcing as potential cost efficiencies for cleaning, but city hall has to create more concrete standards and update cost tracking before looking any deeper.
2025 Second Quarter Budget Monitoring Report – These numbers cover 2025 through to the halfway point and by the end of June it looked like the City might be heading to a deficit for this year, 0.66 per cent or $3.8 million. It’s a cause for concern, but there could be a one per cent difference either way. As for where the pressure is, there’s increased compensation costs including overtime for Fire, Paramedics and Transit. There’s also aging assets and equipment, plus the fact that development charge revenue is at only 9.6 per cent of budget so far, plus there’s a possible $15-20 million liability through appeals at the Ontario Land Tribunal. Many City departments are performing better than expected though, and the City’s on track to spend 80 per cent of this year’s capital budget.
Multi-Residential Property Tax Subclass Discounts for Affordable Housing – Sounds complicated, but it’s actually pretty simple. The Ontario government will allow municipalities in 2026 to offer property tax discounts up to 35 per cent on affordable rental housing units. To qualify, units must meet the guidelines for provincial affordability and be under agreements with government, and although City staff acknowledge that this is going to put a dent in municipal tax revenue, the opportunity to secure more affordable units and protect the ones that already exist is just too good to pass up. Council needs to pass a bylaw by September 30 in order for the discounts to go into effect at the new year.
Guelph Politico 