Council Post-Meeting Highlights – September 9, 2024

This month, Council heard on key issues including 2025/2026 Budget Guidelines, Composition of Municipal Council - Pairing of Huntsville and Chaffey Wards, Development Charges, Vandalism in the Community.

Here’s what happened:

• Town Staff are seeking Council’s approval for the 2025/2026 Budget Guidelines, which includes setting the net tax rate increase range, governed by the Town's Budget and Financial Controls Policy and based on established inflation rates (CPI-trim). According to the Policy’s annual allowable tax rate increase, staff are proposing to prepare the Draft 2025/2026 Town Consolidated Budget with the net tax rate increase range of between 2.7% and 5.4% over the prior year for 2025 and 2.7% and 5.4% over the prior year for 2026. Town Staff will also provide an overview of the 2025-2026 Budget process, including the recently released Community Survey – please see the recent media release for more information.
  • OUTCOME: Council voted to set the 2025/2026 Budget Guidelines, including directing staff to prepare the Draft Budget with a net tax increase range of between 2.7% and 4.99% over the prior year.
• The Town Clerk will present a report on Composition of Municipal Council - Pairing of Huntsville and Chaffey Wards with options to address the inequity of Council representation by population in Chaffey Ward. The population of Chaffey Ward continues to grow well beyond that of the other five wards within the Town of Huntsville and does not adequately reflect equal Council representation. To address the inequity with minimal cost while increasing the benefit to the community, staff recommend changing the existing ward pairings to combine Huntsville Ward and Chaffey Ward for electoral representation purposes, to come into effect for the 2026-2030 Term of Council. In accordance with the Town's Public Notice Policy, if Council chooses to move forward with changing the composition of Council with the pairing of Huntsville Ward and Chaffey Ward, a Public Meeting will be scheduled during a regular Council meeting in the fall.
  • OUTCOME: Council voted to approve the staff proposal to pair the Huntsville and Chaffey Wards, to come into effect for the 2026 Election. Council passed a resolution directing staff to prepare a by-law to reflect the composition of Council as follows:
    • Mayor
    • Town and District Councillors - Three (3)
    • Huntsville and Chaffey Ward Councillor - Two (2)
    • Stisted, Stephenson and Port Sydney Ward Councillor - Two (2)
    • Brunel Ward Councillor - One (1)
• Council will be receiving an invited presentation from Hemson Consulting with the Draft Development Charges (DC) Background Study, which will include the proposed DC rates for the next 10 years, which would come into effect beginning January 1, 2025.
• Town Staff will provide an update on Growth Related Capital Program - Development Charges, which will give an overview of the growth-related capital program which has been considered as part of the Development Charges (DC) Background Study and By-law update. The purpose is to ensure that the increase in need for services from anticipated development in Huntsville will be met through the delivery of a growth-related capital program and corresponds with the related development charges.
  • OUTCOME: Council passed a resolution directing Town staff, in consultation with Hemson Consulting, to prepare a development charges background study based on the growth-related capital program. The growth-related capital program project list was amended slightly in an effort to ensure all projects were directly attributable to growth. After the background study is prepared, a Public Meeting will be held to give opportunity for input.
• Council will consider a resolution regarding Vandalism in the Community, particularly in River Mill Park, which continues to be a re-occurring issue costing the Town unnecessary funds. The proposed resolution would direct staff to report back on costing and options for the placement of video surveillance cameras in River Mill Park.
  • OUTCOME: Council passed a resolution directing staff to report back on costing and options for the placement of video surveillance cameras in River Mill Park, which would include additional safety options, including lighting.

Want to dig deeper? Watch the full Council discussion through the livestream.