Kingston city councillors are looking to fast-track spending millions of extra dollars on affordable housing and better roads.
Councillors passed a motion at their Feb. 19 meeting to possibly siphon $24.2 million from future capital projects and redirect the money into improved housing and roads.
“These are clearly important things for the city. There’s some desperation in the air, I think,” said Coun. Rob Hutchison, who introduced the motion.
He wants up to $18 million earmarked for the creation of dozens of affordable housing units, plus another $6.2 million to fix up broken roads and sidewalks. The plan was lauded by other politicians.
“We are pothole politicians,” said Coun. Jim Neill.
He added: “The reality is, we hear from our constituents all the time about the need for much-needed road and sidewalks repairs.”
The motion instructs staff to draft a list of debt-funded projects slated to start in the next four years that could, instead, be deferred longer. The list of delayed projects will then be presented to councillors for debate before their strategic priority talks conclude in mid-April.
Mayor Bryan Paterson argued the timing of the motion was premature because it would give staff the ability to determine which capital projects are not priorities before council has a chance to decide. He says a better approach is for councillors to set their priorities first in order to give staff a clearer direction of which projects can or can’t be delayed.
“We need to have a strategic plan, identify priorities, and then give staff direction what should be removed.”
When asked which capital investments may be delayed so spending can be ramped up on housing and roads, acting chief administrator Lanie Hurdle suggested recreation and leisure programs, the Kingston East community centre and active transportation projects would likely be casualties.
Her response set off alarms for Coun. Ryan Boehme, whose Pittsburgh district is eagerly awaiting a new community centre near LaSalle Secondary School.
“We’re really robbing Peter to pay Paul with this.”
He says delaying work on the community building will make it more expensive in future years.
Boehme added: “It is unfair … asking staff to make those hard decisions.”
Coun. Hutchison’s motion was amended to soothe those fears. Councillors will hold three meetings in late March to draft priorities. Based on what’s decided, staff will determine how to free up $24.2 million before council meets again on April 17 to finalize their priority spending list.
Coun. Hutchison, a longtime advocate of the need for more affordable housing, says the city is in dire need of additional units to address the demand. He says the federal and provincial governments are not helping municipalities deal with their affordable housing needs so Kingston must take the lead on its own.
He estimates the $16 million in new funding could create about 90 affordable housing units, to be constructed during the council term, with 30 units at market rent, 30 units as affordable housing (rents set at 70 to 80 per cent of the market rate) and another 30 units as low rentals.
When it comes to fixing potholes, he says the intent is to double the city’s current 2019 budget for repairs to crumbling roads and sidewalks.
Hutchison says he’s been informed by senior staff that they’re already preparing to recommend the reallocation of about $12 million that was set aside to build the contentious Wellington Street extension. He says the North King’s Town secondary plan is expected to recommend alternative ways to accommodate the inner city’s future transportation needs without the need for building a road extension along the Inner Harbour lands.
He says he would never support delaying either the Kingston east community centre or the third bridge crossing.
“Oh, heaven’s no. You have to be politically practical, right?”
Even projects that may fall by the wayside could be salvaged sooner than later if the City agreed to incur more long-term debt.
While treasurer Desiree Kennedy told the recent budget talks that the City’s credit card is close to being maxed out, there should be more room in future years to take on additional debt capacity. That’s because past infrastructure work is slowly being paid off while the City’s reserve funds are also constantly replenished through a special one per cent capital tax that’s added to the annual property-tax bills.
Hutchison says his fact-finding motion – to delay some projects while fast-tracking others – should give councillors more flexibility when it comes to affording some of their goals.
But it will still be up to council to decide this spring whether affordable housing and better roads will be deemed priorities of their term before any extra money is spent on them.