a. Transit
H. Dempster, General Manager, Transit, presented the 2024 Proposed Budget for the Transit Department.
Council discussion took place and included the following topics:
- Operating costs and reduction in the Base Operating Growth Budget
- Increase in Transit Revenue Budget
- Dedicated Transit Fund
- 2024 staff requests
- Request for information on outsourcing fleet maintenance
- Fuel program and costs
- Queen Street BRT project
- Advocacy for 2-way, all-day GO service and other transit projects
Later in the meeting, staff responded to additional questions from Council regarding the following:
- Green fleet initiative
- Lifespan and refurbishment of buses
- Previous budgets for the purchase of buses, and a request for information on any unspent funds
- Government funding
b. Fire and Emergency Services
B. Boyes, Commissioner, Community Services, and Acting Fire Chief, Fire and Emergency Services, presented the 2024 Proposed Budget for the Fire and Emergency Services Department.
Council discussion took place and included the following topics:
- User fees for Fire and Emergency Services (e.g. false alarms, open fires)
- Labour expenditures, contract negotiations and related provisions in the budget, and a request for an update in Closed Session
c. Community Services
B. Boyes, Commissioner, Community Services, and Acting Fire Chief, Fire and Emergency Services, presented the 2024 Proposed Budget for the Community Services Department.
Council discussion took place and included the following topics:
- Balmoral Recreation Centre project
- Parks and Recreation Master Plan
- Identifying service gaps and demand for sports
- Ensuring an equitable distribution of services city-wide
- Improving the registration process for recreation programs
- Challenges resulting from the demand for programs, and the need for additional staff in skating and aquatics
- Service Brampton
- 311 hours of operation and costs associated with reinstating 24/7 service
- Data collection and coordination of service requests
- Call-back requests from residents
- Processing of requests received by email or via the mobile app
- Request for information regarding:
- 311 hours of operation in similar municipalities
- the average number of calls received after hours
- Addition of pickleball courts in wards 2 and 6
- Livestreaming hockey games in City rinks, and a request for information on the possibility of providing this service internally, including related costs and potential revenue
- Funding opportunities through subsidies and grants
- Opportunity to partner with local schools for community use of space (e.g. gymnasium, community rooms) in the evenings and on weekends
- Urban Forest Canopy Program and the variety of trees being planted
- One Million Trees Program and community participation
d. Public Works and Engineering
R. Gasper, Director, Road Maintenance, Operations and Fleet, Public Works and Engineering, presented the 2024 Proposed Budget for the Public Works and Engineering Department.
Council discussion took place and included the following topics:
- Status of the recruit for the Commissioner of Public Works and Engineering
- Review of capital project spending in relation to the ability to build
- Budget for traffic calming measures, and the installation of speed humps/bumps and Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras
- Approach for dealing with encampments along trails and in parks
- Clarification regarding the Williams Parkway project
- State of good repair for buildings, and a request that staff assess vacant buildings for possible demolition
- Additional staff for Security Services and reduction of contracted services
- The need for additional space at the Cassie Campbell Community Centre for off-ice training
- Howden Recreation Centre project budget
- Road resurfacing program, the lifespan of roads, the assessment of road conditions for resurfacing, and a request that staff communicate with area councillors regarding road resurfacing projects prior to the tendering process
- Request that staff refrain from using steel grates at intersections
- Way-finding Signage Program
- City Clerk's Office front counter expansion project
e. Corporate Support Services
A. Milojevic, Commissioner, Corporate Support Services, presented the 2024 Proposed Budget for the Corporate Support Services Department.
There were no questions from Council.
f. Planning, Building and Growth Management
S. Ganesh, Commissioner, Planning, Building and Growth Management, presented the 2024 Proposed Budget for the Planning, Building and Growth Management Department.
There were no questions from Council.
g. Legislative Services
S. Akhtar, City Solicitor and Acting Commissioner, Legislative Services, presented the 2024 Proposed Budget for the Legislative Services Department.
Council discussion took place and included the following topics:
- Status of the recruit for the Commissioner of Legislative Services
- Proactive enforcement strategies, anticipating "hot spots" for various offenses, and the use of licence plate readers
- Enforcement of parking in bike lanes and a request that the related fine be increased
- Improving Enforcement and By-law Services timelines and processes for responding to 311 service requests
- Suggestion that an operational review of Enforcement and By-law Services be undertaken
- The need to improve 311 technology to enhance data collection
- Coyote-related incidents, data collection for coyote sightings, and enforcement relating to feeding wildlife
h. Office of the CAO
M. Kallideen, Chief Administrative Officer, presented the 2024 Proposed Budget for the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.
There were no questions from Council.
In response to questions from Council regarding the Council Office budget, N. Damer, Treasurer, Corporate Support Services, advised that information would be provided later in the meeting. (See Items 9.2 and 9.4)
The following motion was considered.