Erin property taxes declining 1.8%

Assessment growth in other parts of Wellington County is lightening the tax burden on Erin residents, who will see an overall reduction of 1.8 per cent on their tax bills.

The total tax on a house assessed at $500,000 would decline about $100.

Council passed the tax rate bylaw on June 5, after a report by Director of Finance Ursula D’Angelo said the estimated savings (not including the impact of property value changes) would total $19.99 for each $100,000 of residential assessment. 

In December, council had considered enacting a .5 per cent decline in town taxes (which are 25.94 per cent of the total) using new assessment revenue of $282,665. Instead they put some of that money into the infrastructure reserve fund and settled on a .5 per cent increase.

That means for local purposes, the town will collect $6.6 million, with residents paying $1.42 more for each $100,000 of assessment value. That increase is more than offset by decreases in county and education taxes.

In January, the county passed their 2018 budget with an average tax increase of 2.5 per cent, but the percentage varies in each local municipality. In Erin it is a decrease of 1.94 per cent, or $12.41 for each $100,000 of assessment. The town will collect $14.2 million on behalf of Wellington County, which is 55.73 per cent of local taxes.  

Erin has had assessment value growth on existing properties and new construction. Other Wellington municipalities, however, have had even more assessment growth, so they are paying a slightly higher share of county taxes than they used to.

The Erin education tax totals $4.7 million, which is 18.33 per cent of the total. It is declining 5 per cent, or $9.00 for each $100,000 of assessment.

The proportion of property taxes paid by residential owners remains high, but it has declined from 87.7 per cent in 2017 to 87.5 in 2018. The commercial share is down slightly, but the industrial and farmland shares are up slightly.

The 2017 assessment roll shows the total value of all Town of Erin properties at $2,464,384,051. Final tax bills go out in mid-July, with final installments due on August 31 and October 31.

Community improvement toolbox promoted

The Town of Erin should load up its Community Improvement Plan (CIP) with as many tools as possible, even if they are not to be used right away.

That was the advice of consultant Nancy Reid of the firm Stantec, at a community consultation workshop at Centre 2000 on Feb. 13.

“Build a toolbox you can implement over a 10-year period,” she said. “You can change the focus every year.”

The “tools” are primarily programs to channel public money to private firms through loans or grants, for physical projects that benefit the broader community.

The funding is intended to supplement private investment in the projects. Businesses will apply for assistance, which may be approved if they meet the town’s current criteria.

Possible programs include improvements to business façades, signage, landscaping, accessibility and energy efficiency.

They could include creation of new housing units, heritage conservation projects, building expansions or conversions, remediation of former industrial land, deferral of tax increases on improved property, improved parking, development of local attractions in areas such as the arts, local food or the equine sector, or making key areas more walkable.

“The CIP should help revitalize the town and stimulate investment,” Reid told town council recently.

She also recommends that the whole town be included. Even if downtown retail stores, for example, were to be the recipients of the initial effort, she said the town should keep the option of targeting industrial or agricultural areas in the future.

Input at the recent workshop will be reflected in the draft plan, to be ready in March. There will be a public meeting before council votes on its adoption.

CIP funding allocated by the Town of Erin ($20,000 in 2018) is expected to be supplemented by Wellington County’s Invest Well Community Improvement Plan.

The Economic Development Department says it will “allow the County to provide tax assistance, grants or loans to assist in the rehabilitation of lands and buildings.”

The amount of county funding has not been set, but it will be targeted based on the Economic Development Strategy, Business Retention and Expansion findings, the Taste Real program and the Investment Attraction Strategy.

Countywide priorities may include support for downtowns, affordable/high density housing, diversification of economic activity and employment land development.

County wants ideas for new Hillsburgh Library

As published in The Erin Advocate

Libraries have done a good job of moving beyond books in the services they offer, but with a new library complex opening in Hillsburgh next year, there is an opportunity to do even better.

Wellington County staff and +VG Architects are seeking input on what features people would like to see. Pick up a comment card at existing local branches or the Town office, send an email to HillsburghLibrarycomments@wellington.ca or visit the library section of the county website.

Libraries are all about sharing, learning, community engagement and culture. So what can we share in that physical space that is not readily available on the internet?

How about the work of local artists? Of course, the library foyer should be filled with a series of art exhibits. But what if you could borrow a piece of art for free, with the option to buy it?

How about face-to-face conversation? An enclosed veranda overlooking the pond, with a café and comfortable seating, would be an attractive social meeting space.

How about seeds? A seed library would allow patrons to take home a variety of seeds for their gardens and flowerpots, and later in the season, contribute seeds from their plants back to the community stock.

How about tools, and toys, and musical instruments? A co-op for sharing these would require some initial investment, and perhaps a membership fee, but it could start small and be built up with fundraising and item donations.

How about garden plots? We’re long overdue for a community garden, which would allow apartment dwellers or owners of small properties to work a borrowed patch of fertile soil. It could be a secure, supervised facility, one of many outdoor features on the spacious site.

How about a trails welcome centre? This is a unique, beautiful public space. We need to promote it and take advantage of the opportunity for nature education. The library could be a hub for use of an around-the-pond trail, the Elora Cataract Trailway (owned by Credit Valley Conservation) and the nearby Nestlé parklands.

How about a stage overlooking the grounds, for outdoor concerts? How about canoe and bicycle rentals? How about permanent chess board tables on a patio? Once the ideas start flowing, there’s no telling what could be considered.

The Library has made a good effort to use new technologies, with services such as its e-book system and 3D printers. It should remain vigilant for opportunities to add on to what people can already do at home.

Within the structure, dedicated spaces are needed for functions such as children’s programming, workstations that can be reserved by business people and older students, and perhaps a magazine lounge. There should be a small meeting room, and a larger room for lectures, small-scale performances or travelling exhibits.

Perhaps the treasures of the Museum and Archives could be displayed more throughout the county. How about a local history corner, instead of just a couple of shelves?

When I was a kid, our school did not have a proper library, but the public library arrived in the school parking lot once a week in the form of a Bookmobile. It was a converted bus filled with bookshelves.

Now that schools do have adequate libraries, county staff should think about what unique services they might be able to deliver to the public outside the library buildings, either at schools, special events or other community facilities.

And then of course there’s the book collection. DVDs may be following videotapes into oblivion, but books are not going away. So we’ll need a good selection of those too.

Warden George Bridge says the Hillsburgh Library will be “a showpiece of our library system, and indeed the envy of library systems throughout the Province.” The building needs to be attractive, complimenting the 1892 house that will be part of it, but its form must be driven primarily by the needs of its users.

Tax variations raise a million-dollar question

As published in The Erin Advocate

Owning a house that is assessed at $1,000,000 can be quite a burden when it comes to paying property taxes. Councillor Matt Sammut raised the issue at the January 20 budget meeting, in a heated discussion about the impact of tax increases.

“Who is paying the brunt of it?” he asked. “If your home is valued at $400,000, and you get a 5% increase, that’s a couple hundred bucks, I can live with it. It’s the homes that are valued at 7 – 800, a million dollars in our community, that are getting killed, and we’ll continue to kill that group.

“You can just do a simple comparison right next door. You have a million dollar house in Caledon, you have a million dollar house here. Here, you’re paying about $12,000 in taxes; over there you’re paying about $6,000.”

Mayor Al Alls expressed shock at that statement, but after two hours of working on Erin’s budget, he said he would not argue about Caledon. Sammut suggested that he read the Toronto Star on a regular basis. Alls said, “I don’t need your lecture, Councillor Sammut, and I call you out of order.” At that point, he adjourned the meeting.

Overall taxes are known to be lower in Caledon, but a difference of $6,000 seemed like a major exaggeration. So I looked up the tax rates for Erin and Caledon, and multiplied them by a $1 million assessment.

It turns out that the tax bill for 2015 was actually $2,349 higher in Erin. That’s not small change, but it’s a long way from $6,000. Sammut acknowledged the discrepancy later.

“Yes, I exaggerated the variance in taxes as my goal is to motivate our Council that we must discuss fiscal sustainability and fiscal fairness in our community,” he said.

He has a long list of concerns, including high infrastructure costs, the undervaluing of rural homes in provincial assessments, tax credits for farmers and the high percentage of county taxes. Some communities have advantages under regional government, have more money to provide services, and have better internet, lower hydro rates and lower water rates.

The Town of Erin has little or no control over these issues, however, so they cannot be solved in the Town budget. Erin could slash its taxes by 80%, and residents here would still pay more than in Caledon.

Looking at the chart of what is paid in various communities, it is clear that Erin’s Town taxes are relatively low. Caledon residents pay 30% more (and get more services). But like others in Wellington County, Erin’s total taxes are much higher than in Caledon and Halton Hills.

This has nothing to do with efficiency. It has everything to do with population density and the massive commercial and industrial tax revenues generated in Brampton, Mississauga, Oakville and Burlington, which reduce the burden on residential taxpayers in Peel and Halton.

In addition, Wellington County Treasurer Ken DeHart says the chart illustrates a shift in property taxes from urban to rural communities.

Greenbelt expansion could limit Erin’s future growth

As published in The Erin Advocate

In order to preserve farmland, woodlands, wetlands and ground water near the GTA, is there a need to lock down vast new areas of the countryside, including the western part of Erin, to drastically limit future development?

A coalition of environmental groups is advocating a major expansion of the Greenbelt, which already protects the eastern part of the Town of Erin, including the lands surrounding Hillsburgh and Erin village. Within the Greenbelt, most development is banned outside the fixed urban borders of hamlets and villages.

The Greenbelt is now under review by the provincial government and there is debate over how much protection is needed. In a tug of war between environmentalists and the development industry, the province has the difficult task of setting priorities, finding solutions and striking a reasonable balance.

Dark areas on the map show proposed local additions 

to the Greenbelt. Existing Greenbelt lands are to the east.    

On one hand, Ontario sees population growth as essential to the economy, and insists that counties and regions accept their share of new residents – mainly with denser concentrations. In 2006, 8.4 million people lived in the Greater Golden Horseshoe; by 2031 the number is expected to be 11 million, up 31%. Developers, and large cities already bursting at the seams, want the Greenbelt territory and restrictions reduced to allow for more growth.

On the other hand, the government also agrees with vast majority of residents who don’t want to see Southern Ontario covered with pavement.

The Greenbelt was intended as a barrier to urban sprawl, but development is now leapfrogging over it. Greenbelt lands are also threatened by new mega-highways, including the GTA West that will run from Vaughan to Caledon, Georgetown and the 401, and by the large-scale dumping of potentially contaminated soil as fill on farmland.

The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation is quite happy with the recent report of a Coordinated Land Use Plan Review advisory panel led by former Toronto Mayor David Crombie. It backs growing the Greenbelt, which already covers 1.8 million acres, stretching 325 km from Rice Lake to the Niagara River.

Farmland and sensitive natural areas outside the Greenbelt already have some protection through provincial policies, conservation authority regulations and local official plans.

The Ontario Greenbelt Alliance, which includes 115 groups such as the Wellington Water Watchers, is proposing to add almost 1.6 million acres to the Greenbelt. That would include river valleys in built-up areas, huge zones surrounding Barrie and Cobourg and significant groundwater sources throughout Waterloo Region and Wellington County.

The Waterloo, Orangeville and Paris-Galt Moraines provide the headwaters of the Grand River and aquifers for drinking water in Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. The new water protection zones could be called the “Bluebelt”. For more information, go to Greenbelt.ca and Greenbeltalliance.ca.

“The County Planning department would like to understand the purpose of expanding the Greenbelt,” said Wellington Planning Director Gary Cousins.

“The Greenbelt was initially established as a separator between the GTA and what has been called the ‘outer ring municipalities’. It appears the purpose is changing based on providing higher levels of environmental and agricultural protection, but there are many protections already in place to achieve these purposes.”

Erin Councillor Jeff Duncan raised the issue at the December 1 meeting of Town Council, with a reminder that in 2004, part of Erin was unexpectedly placed in the Greenbelt without consultation or consent. Council had to make decisions about urban boundaries on short notice.

Duncan suggested that the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, funded by the provincial government, is releasing “trial balloons” to test reaction to the possibility of Greenbelt expansion.

“The Greenbelt has both negative and positive attributes to it, but our citizens and Town/County officials should be prepared to debate those issues,” he said.

Erin in top 100 of Canada’s Best Places to Live

As published in The Erin Advocate

High income, low crime and low unemployment have teamed up with a strong arts and sports culture to place the Town of Erin at #76 on the MoneySense list of Canada’s Best Places to Live.

This is the first time Erin has been included in the magazine’s annual ranking of 209 municipalities. Orangeville is another new arrival, coming in at #97, and it seems we live in a good neighbourhood. Veterans of the list include Caledon at #56 this year, Centre Wellington (Fergus-Elora) at #52, Halton Hills at #21 and Guelph at #15.

Of the 209 places listed, Erin scored in the top 25% for income, employment, arts and sports activity and lack of crime.

It scored lower in the categories of affordable housing, healthy population growth (only 1.3% in five years), access to health care, low taxes, good weather, and ease of walking, biking and taking transit. The report says 3% of Erin residents use public transit to get to work.

Many Canadians say the place they live is the best, but MoneySense writer Mark Brown says the list is not about civic pride. “The purpose is to take an objective look at the communities across the country and identify the ones where residents can thrive,” he said.

The statistics were provided by Environics Analytics, Statistics Canada, Environment Canada and IHS Automotive. Points were awarded to communities using weighted categories: Weather - 10%; Commuting - 11%; Wealth - 28%; Demographics - 17% and Other (including crime, amenities, healthcare, culture and taxation) - 35%.

Boucherville, Quebec (south of Montreal) came in #1, while Calgary, a former #1, slipped to #19. Other highlights include Burlington #3, Oakville #6, Stratford #7, Waterloo #16, Toronto #35, Kitchener #40, Hamilton #41, Milton #57, Mississauga #61 and Brampton #154.

The median annual household income in Erin is listed at $105,809, with average discretionary income of $58,112 and an average household net worth of $784,001.

In comparison, households in the Town of Caledon are said to have median annual income of $95,118, with discretionary income averaging $61,238, net worth at $926,552, property valued at $621,859 and property taxes at $3,414.

The value of an average Erin resident’s primary real estate is pegged at $576,460, with the property tax averaging $3,306. What that tax figure includes, and for what year, is not stated, but it does not line up with the Town’s numbers.

After passage of the 2015 budget, the Town of Erin calculated that a home assessed at $400,000 would generate about $1,150 in Town taxes, $2,596 in County taxes and $780 in School taxes, for a total of $4,526. That’s up 2.22% from 2014.

Erin is not on any of the specialty lists published by MoneySense, including Canada’s Richest Cities, based on Household Net Worth. Caledon places #9 on that list with households averaging $926,552. That’s similar to places like Oakville, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Aurora, but far short of West Vancouver, #1 with households averaging $3,152,364.

Halton Hills has the distinction of being #9 on the list of Best Places to Raise Kids. It has an average monthly daycare cost of $1,222, with 62.6% of families having children, 20.6% of the population under age 15, and a crime rate that has dropped 32% in five years.

Other interesting facts about Erin from the profile:

• Population: 11,282.

• Unemployment rate: 2.98%.

• Crime Rate per 100,000 people: 2,636 (down 23% in the last 5 years).

• Violent crime severity index: 15.8 (compared to Halton Hills at 20.1, Guelph at 42.5 or Brampton at 51.3).

• Average income tax for a person earning $50,000: $8,571.

• Vehicles 2012 or newer: 17.9% (Luxury vehicles 2012 or newer: 1.3%).

• People walking to work: 2.6%.

• People employed in arts and recreation: 2%.

• Medical doctors per 1,000 people: .98.

• Owned homes: 94.8%.

• Climate: 750 mm annual rainfall, 105 days with maximum temperature over 20°C, 7.7 days over 24°C.

Property tax rebates deplete Town revenue

As published in The Erin Advocate

When Erin politicians get tired of complaining about the property assessment system, which forces us to pay higher county taxes, they can turn their attention to a variety of other alleged injustices inflicted by the provincial government.

There’s the ever-popular “infrastructure deficit”, in which municipalities have built way more stuff than they could ever afford to maintain, especially with residents forever fantasizing about less taxation.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario estimates that actually fixing all the roads, bridges, sewers etc. would cost $60 billion. If property taxes alone were to maintain existing obligations, plus eliminate this deficit, the AMO estimates that municipal taxes would have to increase 19% per year for 10 years.

So do we let some of our infrastructure crumble, and ultimately make do with less? Do we pay up through higher taxes and debt charges? Do we invite private enterprise to wave its magic wand? Like good Canadians, we’ll probably compromise and do a little bit of all of that.

Faced with a problem that cannot be solved within the term of one government, the province just chips away at it. They dole out infrastructure funding erratically and upload some of the costs previously dumped on municipalities, but it is never even close to enough.

Erin is at a disadvantage in this game, being labeled a wealthy community. We have low debt, high taxes and very little income from industry. We have lots of farms and natural areas, but the tax revenue they could generate is severely curtailed by provincial policy.

The latest complaints at the Erin council table have been about the 75% property tax reduction the Town is required to provide for qualified farmland (846 properties) and managed forests (117 properties), as well as a 100% exemption for 721 pieces of conservation land.

Farmland qualifies for the rebate if it is actually farmed, generating at least $7,000 in gross income per year. Farm residents still pay the regular rate on their homes, plus one acre, but obviously their fields do not use municipal services. With farmland values increasing faster than residential values, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture is lobbying for a larger percentage reduction.

The benefit used to be a rebate paid by the province and shared through income taxes. It started in the early 1970s when farmers were being hit hard by huge increases in the cost of education – another service not used by the land.

The Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris did download many costs to municipalities, but it also assumed a greater share of education costs and took over setting education property taxes. These remain a much lower share than they once were, now just 17.2% of the Erin tax bill, with a 0% increase this year.

When Harris shifted the farm rebate to municipalities in 1998, provincial grants were supposed to cover the cost, but they now only cover about one third. Throughout Wellington County, that is lost local tax revenue of $25.5 million per year, at a net cost of $487 per household.

Finance Director Sharon Marshall estimates that if the province took back responsibility for the rebates and Erin could charge regular taxes on all property, the Town tax rate could decline by 11.6%.

Mayor Al Alls says city dwellers are reaping the benefits of protecting the water, air and local food production, but that the burden of supporting the system falls unfairly on rural municipalities.

“It’s a big hit on our budget ­– we’re paying for it,” said Alls, noting that a large share of electoral support for the Liberal government comes from large urban centres.

“The current provincial government doesn’t get their power from us,” he said at a recent council meeting. “Nothing’s going to change until that changes.”

Let’s not be too efficient in setting Town budget

As published in The Erin Advocate

There are lots of good things happening in the budget process upon which Erin town councillors have embarked, but there are some areas where caution and a bit more time are required.

Council members are getting along with staff and each other. Mayor Al Alls is working cooperatively with CAO Kathryn Ironmonger to make sure council business flows smoothly. There’s a positive atmosphere at the Town office, which is refreshing news for all concerned.

Staff have impressed council by presenting a pre-trimmed budget, including only the top priority projects that can be accomplished with a moderate tax increase. Instead of chopping away through five or six grueling budget meetings, the plan is to wrap this thing up in two sittings – a five-hour one last week and the second March 24 at 10 am.

Council has to decide what to add back into the budget, how much to borrow, how much to pull from reserves and ultimately how much to tax. The choices are important, but if they agree with the priorities in the plan set before them, relatively simple.

In considering new debt of $1 million, council was wise to request a report on debt ratios and servicing costs. They’re also thinking of pulling a million and a quarter from reserves, so they need to be confident that such a move will not create problems in the future.

In its key role of setting policies and priorities, council needs to ensure that debates over difficult choices happen at public meetings and that the public has adequate opportunity to understand and comment. Here are some suggestions to improve the current budget process:

Have a public meeting where people can comment on the operating budget, just as they appreciated doing on the capital budget. At the very least, don’t just present a slide show to explain the budget, then approve it the same day. Give them a couple of weeks to digest it and possibly appeal for changes.

Don’t schedule all two of the budget reviews and the final approval for daytime meetings. The most important issues should get some exposure at evening meetings.

Schedule budget meetings so that each department head can appear before full council to state their priorities and answer questions. Fire Chief Dan Callaghan and Interim Water Superintendent Joe Babin had other obligations and could not attend the meeting where their budgets were discussed. What if councillors were considering a change to one of those budgets and needed to know the implications?

With only two budget meetings, players are left out. Councillor Matt Sammut, who ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility, was away for the first meeting and Councillor John Brennan, the voice of experience from recent councils, will be away for the second. Having three or four shorter meetings could lessen this impact and allow time for comprehension and possible amendments.

Finally, council and staff should be careful with the use of “working groups”. These are private meetings of senior staff with the mayor and one other councillor. (Having three council members at a non-public meeting would violate the Municipal Act.)

Essentially, we have two out of five politicians present at what would normally be a staff meeting. This is not necessarily a problem. Discussing strategy on Town issues is beneficial, but there should never be even the appearance that final decisions are being made behind closed doors, or that staff being given clear direction by other than the full council.

These meetings have been used to discuss the fill bylaw and for preliminary cutting of departmental budgets and community grants.

Last week, Councillor Jeff Duncan objected when full council was asked to endorse the pared-down list of community grants without ever seeing it. The problem was quickly resolved, but it illustrates the need for traditional separation of duties: staff make recommendations and council gets enough information to make final decisions.

Perhaps working groups should be treated more like subcommittees, with clear terms of reference and a report with recommendations or options that full council could debate.

Erin’s aging water tankers bump fire insurance costs

As published in The Erin Advocate

Shopping for insurance is already an annoying ordeal. Discovering that you have to pay extra because your fire department’s tanker trucks are more than 20 years old makes it very annoying.

It’s a confusing business, since companies may offer highly competitive rates for some types of coverage while charging more for others. So-called “quick” quotes over the phone can turn into hour-long inquisitions about your house and driving habits. I gave up on two quotes from call centres when they wouldn’t call me back later.

My broker (who actually answers the phone) found me a deal with a new company that was going to save me many hundreds of dollars. But when I reviewed the details, it was based on having fire hydrant protection. I told her that I live in a rural area with no hydrants, but that I have the protection of tanker shuttle service.

Firefighters can set up a water reservoir at my house in the event of a fire, with two tanker trucks taking turns filling it up. The insurance industry considers this the equivalent of a hydrant for fighting a fire.

My broker tried to confirm that the Town of Erin provides this service, but found nothing. A phone call to the Town revealed the bad news: last year, Erin lost its Superior Tanker Shuttle Accreditation because two of the trucks are more than 20 years old. The trucks are working fine and providing the protection, but the service no longer qualifies residents for a better insurance rate.

“We are getting calls about this every week,” said Fire Chief Dan Callaghan. “Many residents have a 15% increase.”

This issue does not affect urban residents with hydrants. It applies to rural residents who live less than 8 km from a fire hall, by road. Those further away would not normally qualify for the insurance discount in any case, but check your policy, since company standards vary.

For “superior” accreditation, the one that counts for insurance, Erin Fire must demonstrate to Fire Underwriters Survey that they have the training and two qualified trucks to shuttle water to a test site. They must pump at least 950 litres of water per minute continuously for two hours, filling tankers from hydrants, ponds or the seven underground fire reservoirs in the area.

Erin has three tankers, with model years 1990, 1994 and 2009. In the past there was no fixed cut-off date, but council learned in 2013 that tankers over 20 could no longer be used for the test. In 2014, Erin’s accreditation slipped to “standard” when the second tanker passed the limit. An extension of the cut-off was possible if the Town committed to buying a tanker within an agreed time frame.

A new tanker would cost at least $250,000, but it is only one of the budget priorities that have been delayed. The department is still hoping to replace a 1986 pumper-rescue truck, which would cost twice as much as a tanker.

“Where it is on the list, council will have to decide, but they are determined not to keep passing the buck forward,” said Mayor Al Alls. Each department head has been asked to look at what can be cut in their budget and the current operational review may make additional recommendations about priorities.

Councillor John Brennan said the tanker purchase must be “weighed in conjunction with other pressing needs”. He said accreditation was a factor in 2014 budget discussions.

“Council did not make it such a priority as to be fully addressed in that budget for a variety of reasons and I'm not sure the short time frame of the impending loss of accreditation was fully understood.”

County tax share continues to grow

As published in The Erin Advocate

Steady increases in property values have been a bonus for Erin residents when they want to sell their homes, but when county tax taxes are calculated, there is an extra price to pay for living close to the Greater Toronto Area.

Wellington County recently approved a tax increase that averages 2.8%, meaning an extra $18 for every $100,000 of a home’s assessed value. If all property values were increasing at the same rate, we would all pay an extra 2.8% in county taxes, but that is not the case.

The County has never reported the tax impact split by municipality in the past, but I asked Treasurer Ken DeHart to crunch the numbers.

“An average residence in the Town of Erin will experience a 3.1% increase due to the change in property assessment being higher than the County average,” he said.

Tax bills will vary based on individual properties, but the average assessed value of an Erin home was up 3.8% last year, compared to an average of 3.4% countywide. By provincial law, assessment determines the share of property taxes – the County and the Town have no authority to change the system.

Paying .3% above the county average may not seem like much, but over the years the differences in assessment have become quite dramatic, and Erin is not the highest. The average single family detached (SFD) home in Erin has gone from $444,572 in 2013, to $463,933 in 2014 and $481,394 in 2015.

The average SFD home assessment for Wellington County in 2015 was $372,956. Here are the averages by municipality: 

Puslinch - $644,852; 

Erin - $481,394; 

Guelph-Eramosa - $450,361; 

Centre Wellington - $342,817; 

Mapleton - $308,628; 

Wellington North - $221,778 and 

Minto - $202,304.

It is important to remember that assessment growth does not directly result in tax increases. But with the county deciding it needs to collect $84.5 million in taxes this year (as part of a $185.8 million total budget), assessment determines the relative share for each taxpayer.

People are often shocked at how much money the county spends. In 2014 Wellington collected $12.5 million from Erin, 55.2% of total taxes. The Town of Erin collected $5.5 million (24.4%), while schools got $4.6 million (20.4%).

County roads and bridges make up the largest part of Wellington’s budget, but many expenses can be traced back to the downloading of the 1990s, when the provincial government forced counties to take over the cost of some major services. Those still account for more than $40 million on the annual tax levy.

The big-ticket items include:

• Rural OPP service ($17.3 million), 

• The Farm Tax Rebate ($10.6 million), 

• Social Housing ($4.3 million), 

• Land Ambulance ($4 million), 

• Former Provincial Highways ($3.7 million), 

• Social Services and Childcare ($1.8 million) and 

• Public Health ($2 million).

The relatively low amount of taxes paid on farmland, 25% of the regular rate, is a particular issue for municipal taxpayers. Farmland qualifies for the Farm Tax Rebate if it is actually farmed, generating at least $7,000 in gross income per year.

The rebate used to be paid by the province and shared through income taxes. When it was shifted to municipalities, provincial grants were supposed to cover the cost. Actual grants cover less than half, however, leaving county taxpayers to cover the balance. The net cost is $487 per household.

Town gets a low price on Water Rates Study

As published in The Erin Advocate

The Town of Erin will gain a substantial saving by switching to a new consultant for its Water Rates Study and Financial Plan.

Councillors approved a contract with GSS Engineering Consultants of Owen Sound at a fixed cost of $13,795.

Financial Analyst Larry Wheeler said there will be “a significant loss of continuity” in not employing Watson & Associates, which has done extensive work for the Town.

The similar water rates project in 2010-2011 cost $39,000. The cost estimate in the 5 Year Capital Plan for 2015 was $29,000. Five bids came in for the job, ranging from GSS at $13,795 to Watson’s at $22,900.

Staff and Mayor Alls have reviewed the qualifications and experience of the new firm, especially with small, rural water systems in Ontario, and are confident in awarding the contract.

Council wants involvement in EA study

As published in The Erin Advocate

Some members of Town Council should be attending meetings to plan the next phase of the Environmental Assessment (EA) on Erin’s wastewater system, according to Councillor John Brennan.

Council received a report from Christine Furlong of Triton Engineering on an October 28 meeting to discuss Phase 3 of the EA, following from the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan study. The meeting included Erin’s CAO, lawyer and financial consultant, plus Triton, Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Environment – but no one from council.

“As we go into the EA, I would certainly like to see that that process includes some or all of the members of council in the deliberations,” said Brennan.

“Council should be directly involved in this – there are some weighty decisions to be made at the end of the EA process or through the EA process, and having council as well informed as possible is only to our advantage. I would suggest that for the new council, we have Triton provide us with an outline of the activities and consultations that they are undertaking in developing the Terms of Reference, along with regular updates on progress.”

CAO Kathryn Ironmonger said that Triton would be updating council on the activities, but that it was important to consult with provincial officials to make sure the Terms of Reference (TOR) would meet their requirements. Once the TOR is approved by Council and the MOE, the Town can hire a firm to conduct the EA.

Council voted unanimously to accept the update letter from Triton – its last decision before the new council takes office this week. There was discussion during the election campaign of a “performance-based” EA process, which has general support on the new council.

This could include not only Public-Private Partnership (P3) financing, which would come late in the process, but competitive bidding by private firms to manage the process and competition among other firms to provide the best technology.

Furlong said it was agreed by all in attendance at the October 28 meeting, that “it is premature to undertake a P3 procurement model at this time as the project is not defined (facility sites have not been determined, the division of growth between Hillsburgh has not been decided, etc.) During Phase 3 of the Class EA, P3 procurement can be considered and evaluated as a financing alternative.”

Wastewater EAs always have target performance criteria, especially regarding the quality of the effluent going into the river. A traditional Class EA report would specify in detail the technology selected to meet those targets. Furlong said Infrastructure Ontario (IO) is suggesting that the report not be too detailed.

“For a project to be more compatible for P3 procurement and to allow for design and construction flexibility/innovation, specific treatment equipment should not be included in the Environment Study Report (ESR). For example, there are several types of filters on the market for tertiary treatment of wastewater and IO is suggesting that the ESR should simply indicate the need for filtration and not be specific on the type of filtration.”

Looking for clues in the funding puzzle

As published in The Erin Advocate

Is Erin truly being cheated in the financial shell game operated by the Ontario government with its municipalities, or are we just feeling hard done by when money is dangled before us, and then snatched away?

The complexity of the system makes it difficult to tell, so the best we can do is look for clues.

The latest disappointment at Town Hall is the denial of two grant applications: $1.8 million from the $50 million competitive section of the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) for the Daniel Street Infrastructure Renewal Project, and $1.6 million from the Small Communities Fund for the Station Street Rehabilitation project.

Senior governments like to take credit for offering millions of dollars in funding, but when more than 350 municipalities in Ontario want a slice of the pie, the odds of getting a large piece are slim. They’ve told us our projects were not deficient, but won’t say how they were ranked, only that “other applicants with highly critical projects had more challenging economic conditions and fiscal situations.”

Seems it doesn’t pay to keep your debt low. The province is saying that with Erin’s assessment and average income, it can well afford to pay (that is, borrow) for the things it wants. Financial Analyst Larry Wheeler called the criteria “absurd”, in a report to council.

“Being a municipality on the fringe of the GTA brings with it two hugely detrimental characteristics when it comes to winning prospective provincial and federal grant funding: i) Erin household income almost 60% higher than the provincial median, ii) Erin weighted assessment per household 94% higher than the provincial median,” he said.

“Infrastructure funding is not a social welfare program, so why therefore is ‘household income’ being used as a key determining factor? It is paradoxical that ‘weighted assessment’ is being used to steer and channel infrastructure funding in the opposite direction to where it is most crucially required.”

This competitive situation is just one piece of the funding puzzle. Here are a few other recent examples.

• Erin will get $179,100 over three years from the non-competitive section of the OCIF, according to a complex formula to divide up $50 million.

• Erin will get unconditional Ontario funding of $585,800 in 2015 through the regular Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF). That is up $2,200 over 2014, but way down from the $654,000 we got in 2012. The province is eager to point out that while it is reducing that funding overall, it is busy “uploading” various costs to the provincial level including Ontario Works benefits, Disability Support, Drug Benefits, and Court Security.

The Town of Erin has never paid for these services, but the uploading will provide $4.8 million in savings for Wellington County next year, the equivalent of 4% of all municipal property tax revenue in the County. That will more than offset the reduction of the County’s OMPF grant from $3.6 million to $2.9 million.

For OPP service, Wellington expects to save more than $2 million per year under a new billing system that is based more on actual calls for service.

Erin residents and politicians need to find out just how much of these County savings will trickle down locally. Let’s hope they are not all siphoned off to pay for hospitals that we don’t use.

It is not surprising that Erin councillors have been treating Town taxes and County taxes as a package deal. The County is so well off financially that it should be able to adopt minimal tax increases – allowing the Town room to tax for what it needs while keeping the overall increase reasonable. Or perhaps the County could do some uploading of its own, essentially paying for more of what the Town now covers.

In a report to council, Director of Finance Sharon Marshall highlighted a statement in a recent letter from the Minister of Finance Charles Sousa and Municipal Affairs Minister Ted McMeekin concerning the upload savings for upper tier governments like Wellington County:

“It is important to acknowledge that in two-tier systems, the removal of these costs off the property tax base benefits all local taxpayers including those residing in lower-tier municipalities. We encourage upper and lower tier municipalities to engage in discussions to ensure that the savings resulting from the uploads benefit their shared taxpayers in the most effective way possible.”

10-year study planned for Erin water rates

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin is requesting bids from consultants to conduct a 10-year Water Rates Study and Financial Plan that will ensure “sustainable funding” for the drinking water systems in Hillsburgh and Erin village.

Proposals are due next week, and the newly elected Town council is scheduled to award the contract at its first meeting on December 2. The process, which is required now that the term of the previous study is complete, will include a public meeting in March and council approval in April. Water rate increases would take effect in 2016.

Erin water rates had been going up by 20% per year since 2011 to pay for upgrades to the system, but the planned increase for 2015 is 5%. Users are now paying $4.08 per cubic metre of water, which is high compared to many other municipalities, partly due to the low number of customers.

The study consultant will be expected to recommend water rates that will ensure financial stability for the long term – including revenue to cover the full life-cycle cost of infrastructure – but also a plan to manage rate increases “in a manner that will minimize or avoid ‘rate shock’ to our consumers”.

The consultant will also provide a summary of rate structures currently in place within Wellington County and neighboring municipalities. The full Request for Proposal is available at www.erin.ca.

The Servicing and Settlement Master Plan has recommended that private wells be shut down in urban areas – 110 in Erin village and 230 in Hillsburgh. Even with no new housing growth, the SSMP recommends improvements to wells, and with 500 new homes, the cost to bring the water system up to ideal standards could be $6.7 million.

The new study will satisfy the licensing requirements of Ontario’s Safe Drinking Water Act. Erin operates 33,500 meters of watermains, with 1,300 connections supplying water to about 3,300 residents plus various businesses and industrial locations. The Town’s new Asset Management Plan (AMP) includes an asset replacement cost valuation of approximately $33.3 million for water infrastructure.

Ontario law now imposes personal liability on Town Councillors to take all proper steps to guard the safety of drinking water.

Mayoral candidates seek wastewater solutions

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin’s mayoral candidates pitched lots of ideas for improving the local economy, increasing efficiency, restoring civility and dealing with wastewater at the All Candidates’ Meeting held on October 8 by Transition Erin.

There was unanimous support for a sewer system (of some sort) and for efforts to attract and retain business in the Town. The first question was about their vision for the residential sector.

David Lyver said he wants to see assisted-living housing for seniors, which would help free up other homes. He is concerned that high taxes and lack of housing are driving them out.

Rod Finnie said it is possible to build “very beautiful” compact housing for seniors and young people. He wants development to be “community-friendly”, including walking and biking trails, and supports credits to developers for “green” features in their projects.

Allan Alls said sufficient sewage capacity should be reserved for existing homeowners, but that once the remaining capacity is used up, further development could take place using private septic tank wastewater treatment.

Regarding the business sector, Finnie said more jobs and tourism are needed. “We’ve got to be more positive and find ways to make it happen,” he said.

Alls said a sewage system is essential to any significant business development, while Lyver wants to reduce development charges compared to neighbouring municipalities.

For improved council operations, Alls would like to see a Mayor’s Advisory Committee where citizens could provide input. Finnie would stress the need for respect and compromise, and would like to hold council meetings in different parts of the Town. Both like the idea of an open question period for the public at the start of each meeting.

For greater efficiency, Lyver would try to merge duplicate services. Finnie said the Operational Review would be critical, but that he does not believe there is a lot of waste. Alls said he would take a hard look at staffing after the Review, but that it is “probably OK”.

Finnie said bringing a sewer system to Erin is the reason he wants to return to the position of mayor, which he held from 2000 to 2010. “We are not going to survive as a community without it,” he said. He favours working with Infrastructure Ontario and the private sector so that taxpayers will not be hit with high construction costs

Alls said the Environmental Assessment will help determine the best technology, and that it’s not going to cost Erin residents $60 million. Without senior government help, the project can’t go forward, he said.

Lyver said we might need two small systems, plus homes on septics. He said Peel Region might be willing to provide a loan to Erin, since they have a vested interest in the quality of water in the Credit River.

All three agreed in principle with incentives for developers to build more energy-efficient homes, and Lyver suggested extending that to homeowners, with building permit credits for additions and renovations.

To attract more businesses, Alls supports reduction of taxes and development charges. Lyver said this should be based on benefits to the community, such as jobs, and that the Town could set up an area of serviced land for industry. Finnie said instead of cutting taxes and charges, the Town could set up the infrastructure that businesses need in order to succeed – such as ultra high speed internet.

Alls and Lyver agreed with a suggestion to ban bottled water at the Town. Finnie said he doesn’t believe in banning things, but that perhaps Nestlé could pay for product placement – $10,000 for every bottle on the council table.

Regarding the impact of climate change, Alls and Lyver both promoted improved access to GO buses and trains. Finnie said he would promote the county’s Active Transportation Plan (including more paved shoulders on roads), and he would seek partners to help with the cost of improving dams – the most vulnerable part of Erin’s infrastructure.

All three agreed that better communication would improve the advisory committee system, and that an energy conservation committee would be a good idea. Finnie said committees should be given more specific tasks, and Alls called for investigation of recreation levels to learn what more is needed.

Candidates take positions on business issues

As published in the Erin Advocate

Erin election candidates had their first opportunity to publicly answer voters’ questions as the East Wellington Chamber of Commerce (EWCC) hosted an All Candidates Meeting on business issues.

The September 24 event featured 17 contenders – three running for the Mayor’s job, three for the County seat and 11 for the four Town Council positions. Candidates had just one minute each for opening statements, answers to questions and closing remarks.

Mayoral candidates were allowed to answer every question, while random groups of other candidates were selected to give answers. Only highlights are included in this article.

The first question posed by moderator Dave Doan, EWCC Vice-Chair, pointed out the importance of Main Street businesses and asked if candidates would support efforts to attract tourists, retain existing businesses and attract new ones.

Mayoral candidate Allan Alls said his answer is Yes, but noted that the Town has limited funds to spend outside its core functions.

“Most of the businesses told me, ‘Give us a 10-year plan, and then we can spend the money to look after our own businesses.’ I’m big on improving the downtown, but we have to look after our wastewater management system first.”

Rod Finnie, hoping to return as mayor, said it is important to target advertising at the people who are likely to come here.

“We have to invest in the infrastructure so it looks good, and we have to work together cooperatively to make things happen.”

Mayoral candidate David Lyver said better communication is needed with businesses.

“We have a lot of potential here,” he said, stressing the importance of lobbying for money from the provincial and federal governments to make the community better. “We are 60 km from the 11th most industrialized city in the world, and we seem to have issues. We shouldn’t have these issues.”

Council candidate Jamie Cheyne said that while infrastructure and advertising are important, the Town needs to create a attractive market that is more than just downtown Erin, with a greater choice of special events.

County candidate Pierre Brianceau said the pipeline of support from the county has been “shut down for more than ten years”, but that we should be drawing on Wellington’s economic development initiatives.

“Since the Town is in sort of dire straights, and development charges seem to be quite high, it would possibly be a good idea to have a moratorium on development charges (DCs) until the business community starts to catch up.”

Several candidates favour lower DCs as an incentive to businesses, but Finnie said DCs are reasonable compared to neighbouring towns, and warned that lower fees would mean higher taxes to make up the revenue shortfall. Porterfield said temporary tax relief might be a preferable incentive.

Council candidate Chris Naraysingh said the cost of lower DCs would be offset by improved revenue from business activity. He said the Town should be helping businesses “considerably”, adopting a more open, inviting attitude towards them, and establishing a committee to work with the county and business groups like EWCC and the BIA.

Council candidate John Brennan said he has worked with the BIA, Hills of Headwaters Tourism and the Wellington Economic Development Group where the Town could leverage help for local businesses. He supports the plan to hire an Economic Development Officer, wants to cut red tape and welcome new businesses, and says he can help “shepherd businesses through expansion”.

With limited sewage and river capacity, candidates were asked about adequate allowance for retail and industrial growth.

Finnie said he doesn’t think the idea of providing traditional sewers to 4,500 existing residents and 1,500 new ones can work. He urged the study of alternative methods including sub-surface land disposal, to allow for more effluent while still protecting the river.

Lyver suggested that growth be reallocated to the rural areas in west Erin, putting a sewage treatment plant on the Grand River watershed.

Alls said sewage capacity should be reserved first for all existing residents, and second for residential infill and business. “There’s no reason at all in the areas laid out for future development, that we not use the current half-acre for sewage treatment with septic beds – they work great in our soil.”

Council candidate Josie Wintersinger said she hopes the upcoming Environmental Assessment will provide alternatives that could include use of grey water and solar power, and which would avoid the need to dig up streets for sewers.

Council candidate Craig Porterfield said the Town should prioritize the sewage capacity to the areas that need it the most, and “apply other technologies to other sections of the Town, to reduce the need for capacity, such as separating the effluent from the biosolids and treating them separately.”

Council candidate George Silva promoted the use of alternative “green” wastewater technologies that have been successful in Europe, as a way to reduce the costs and impact of disposal.

Discussing ways to avoid ripping up Main Street, Finnie and Alls raised the possibility of a Small Bore system that would keep septic tanks, but treat the effluent. Finnie also suggested running sewer lines down Daniel Street and behind downtown stores on the opposite side, which would also create a route for a public boardwalk along the river as a tourist attraction.

County candidate Lou Maieron said it would best to phase in sewers, starting with the main streets of the two villages. He also questioned the current proposal to pave Daniel Street if it is to have a main sewer line. “You have to work cooperatively with developers, because they’re going to be looking at funding the plant, because they can’t build any houses unless they have a plant.”

Council candidate Rob Smith agreed that a river boardwalk would be a good idea and said the current use of holding tanks is a problem. He said the only alternatives appear to be the Small Bore, or the sewer pipes behind the buildings.

Council candidate Jeff Duncan said sewage capacity does not need to be reserved for all existing homes, since many have well-functioning septic systems, which would enable more capacity to be allocated to future development. He said 1,500 new residents over the next 25 years is not a sufficient growth rate.

Candidates generally agreed that the Operational Review is necessary, with Maieron reminding people that it was one of his promises in the last election. He got no support for a county review, but will push for one again if elected.

Council candidate Matt Sammut said a Town review should have been done a long time ago. “You don’t do it with a heavy hammer and make your staff feel like their jobs are threatened. We have to create a new vision for this community and the staff has to be part of it,” he said.

On a question about hostility towards business, Alls warned that if the downtown dies, property values will decline, and Silva said a friendly environment has to be established, from council to the front-line staff.

Council candidate Evelyn McLean said the Town is dying without economic development: “People need and deserve a cohesive council who can work together and move ahead on the issues before you, especially economic. Without a respectful council, you’re going to be in the same boat you’ve been in for the last four years.”

County candidate Barb Tocher said municipal governments need to be “enabling” for residents and businesses.

“When you come to council or staff, our job is to find a way to make you want to see happen, happen within the rules. That’s our job,” she said.

Council candidate Shawn Wilson said, “The Town is in what I would call dormancy, it’s not doing well. It’s time to revitalize Erin with a wider tax base in the industrial sector, also in tourism.”

MOE rejects lower standards for West Credit

As published in The Erin Advocate

A suggestion by Mayor Lou Maieron to relax strict pollution standards so more new homes can be built in Erin has been rejected by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE).

The mayor is upset that Orangeville, on the main part of the Credit River, is allowed to plan for substantial growth when it has higher levels of contamination than Erin, on the West Credit tributary.

“Why should Erin’s growth be limited to clean up (dilute) water pollution issues originating from Orangeville?” he said in a letter to Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). “Maybe Orangeville’s growth numbers should decrease and Orangeville can clean up their discharge rather than expect Erin not to grow.”

The MOE says the areas must be considered separately. It confirms that Erin will have to meet a much stricter set of rules for sewage discharge because the West Credit River is classified as a Policy One stream, meaning that the existing water quality is better than provincial standards and must be preserved.

The Credit River downstream of Orangeville is a Policy Two stream, already degraded to levels that are worse than provincial standards. Orangeville will be allowed to grow, including a 21% increase in sewage flow, but only if it uses treatment improvements and water conservation to avoid any higher contamination of the river. Maieron is asking why Erin cannot employ a similar strategy to allow for more growth.

For phosphorus in treated sewage effluent, Erin could only discharge .1 milligrams per litre (mg/L). Maieron suggests the limit could be raised to .2 mg/L, possibly enabling more homes to be built. Orangeville’s MOE objective for phosphorus is .4 mg/L, and Maieron says in his CVC letter that they are currently discharging at .5 mg/L.

The first column shows the strict provincial sewage standards for the West Credit River 

that are limiting the Town of Erin’s urban population growth. The second column 

shows the more lenient standards issued in 2009 for the more polluted section

 of the Credit River south of Orangeville. Some parameters have no direct comparison.

The mayor is looking for ways to accommodate provincial demands for population growth and promote economic development. He also wants to find solutions for developers like Solmar, whose subdivision plans are threatened by the population cap imposed by the MOE through the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) that has just been completed.

Between 2011 and 2031, Orangeville’s population is expected to grow from 28,000 to 36,500 if sufficient water and wastewater servicing is available. If the Town of Erin continues to reserve sewage capacity for its existing 4,500 urban residents (including Hillsburgh), only 1,500 new residents (500 homes) will be allowed once a sewer system is built. Growth would be about 30% in both cases, but Erin’s would be on a much smaller scale.

The mayor’s arguments about the river only hold water if both sections are treated as a single entity, based on combined water quality downstream of the Forks of the Credit. The MOE says the two branches must be regulated separately, with maximum protection in the west, and no further degradation in the east.

“The circumstances are so significantly different that it is inappropriate to compare the two settings,” said Mark Smithson, Regional Manager for the Technical Support Section of the MOE, in a letter to the Town of Erin.

He said Orangeville’s discharges have no impact on the assimilative capacity of the West Credit and that the MOE has followed a standard process that would apply to any Policy One stream, including a slight reduction in population to account for impacts of climate change.

The MOE does not provide infrastructure funding, and Smithson said discussions between the MOE and CVC were on technical points, since neither “has the ability or authority to make decisions that allocate development potential to a community.”

He noted that Erin would be building its first treatment plant, subject to today’s standards, while Orangeville’s dates back to 1929, and that sewage treatment would not be withdrawn from Orangeville.

“Each time that the Town has sought approval to permit expansion of its sewage treatment capacity, assimilative capacity studies have been required to demonstrate that the expansion would not result in any further impact,” he said. “In order to discharge a greater volume of effluent, Orangeville has been required to make process improvements that resulted in effluent of higher quality.”

Smithson says “improvement of water quality is encouraged”, and Orangeville’s quality is much better than it once was, but it appears the MOE is content with merely avoiding further degradation. With the Greater Toronto Area expecting an additional 2.5 million residents, for a total population of 8.9 million by 2036, perhaps improvement is too much to expect.

Still, it is worth asking, what if the MOE required sewage treatment improvements, without any housing growth? What would it take to transform the Credit River south of Orangeville into a Policy One stream? The answer is probably a whole lot of money and a more aggressive approach to the problem.

Sewer study for the benefit of existing residents

As published in The Erin Advocate

Residents who spoke out at the final public meeting of the SSMP last week were not enthusiastic about the prospect of building a sewer system in Erin, but they generally agreed that the Town should proceed with further stages of environmental assessment (EA) to ensure maximum benefits for existing residents.

Town Council was meeting on Tuesday this week to consider the options laid out in the Final Report of the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan and whether to proceed with the next phase of study.

This would provide information to enable a Town decision on sewage collection and treatment technology, the location of a treatment plant and the locations for new housing – which is now capped at 500 new homes for Erin village and Hillsburgh, including intensification in existing neighbourhoods.

There was an overflow crowd at last week’s meeting in the council chambers, with about 25 people in the lobby. Everyone observed a moment of silence for Town Water Superintendent Frank Smedley, who passed away August 28.

Some people were angry that a larger room had not been arranged for the meeting. Chair John Brennan apologized and offered to try to schedule a second meeting if needed. In the end, however, despite an attempt to rotate people in from the lobby, there were only 10 speakers and the meeting was done in just over an hour.

Allan Alls, who is running for mayor, said the Town must move forward with the EA after investing so much time and money.

“If you sit still, you die, and this town is dying in many ways,” he said, noting the high cost of fixing septic systems in order to sell a home. “We’re not asking you to come up with money now – we don’t even know how much money it’s going to cost. Let’s look at different technologies that will push us forward – we’ve got to do it folks.”

He has no doubt that financial help will be available from the provincial and federal governments, but it is not possible until the Town knows how much it needs.

“I have nothing against development, but it’s best that people who live in this community determine our future. Best use the capacity that’s there to look after our waste. Then if there’s something left over, or there’s new technology that will increase the growth that developers want to do, as long as it’s controlled, fine. But let’s look after ourselves first.”

Pierre Brianceau, who is running for County Council, said there has been discussion since 2005 about alternatives to traditional sewage treatment. He expressed frustration with the length of the SSMP, which was mandated in 2004, started in 2009, and is now finished. Future study would be Phase 3 of an EA.

He criticized the way the Town has handled development planning, and said there are fears that if existing urban residents don’t use the sewage capacity, developers will use it to build additional homes. He believes servicing could also push up costs for rural residents. He said it is crucial to get definite answers on what the Town’s choices will be.

“We have to admit defeat and accept that for the good of the community, council needs to proceed with the next phase,” he said, advocating clear terms of reference to minimize delays and avoid unnecessary costs.

Shelley Foord of Transition Erin said council should not “Do Nothing” – one of the options outlined in the SSMP, and that the decision should not be deferred to the next Town Council.

If the Town does nothing, she said developers could proceed with their own EA and build more homes, “leaving the existing community without any future servicing possibilities.”

She said the option of a $58 million traditional gravity sewer system “is too costly and too disruptive to both residential and business communities”, and that alternate technologies have not been fully examined.

She said the Town should outsource the financing and operation of the waste servicing, and use a “performance-based EA solution”, with companies submitting quotes for the contract.

“It should be the existing community and not the developers who decide how the limited 6,000 serviceable population is allocated,” she said. “How it’s allocated will define the Town’s future character.”

Mat Sammut of Concerned Erin Citizens noted that the West Credit River is in good environmental condition now, and said that with cash-strapped senior governments, it may be difficult to get grants for sewage treatment.

“We’re not going to have a lot of room for growth. I’m not saying we needed significant growth, but we have hurt ourselves fiscally now by saying we can’t get that growth,” he said.

“We’re seeing a town on a downslope. And you’re here for a reason, because you love our town. But if a town goes down, so do our property values, yet costs won’t. We’ll continue to pay more as we see a big asset in our lives continue to dwindle.”

He supports the idea of a “performance-based” sewer process and says the Town must avoid cutting up Main Street again since it would kill businesses.

“What do we want for growth and how are we going to define that growth, and then we have to go after it and partner with developers to get the growth we want.”

Jay Mowat asked council for assurance that alternatives to traditional sewers would be studied “fairly, honestly and completely”. He said the consultant had been recommending a traditional system.

Matt Pearson of BM Ross responded that it was not in their mandate to research alternate technologies and that the SSMP report does not actually recommend any method. They had only used a traditional system as the basis of an approximate cost estimate, he said.

One speaker, who identified himself only as Steve, said he moved to Erin for the nice small town atmosphere, and that it was not right to make changes to that for the benefit of a developer. He also said it was 20 years too late to try expanding the Town.

“You want these good people to pay for your mistake – it’s wrong, and you shouldn’t be doing it,” he said.

Mark Corscadden said there’s nothing wrong with moving forward, “but this town isn’t doing it”. He said the trend is away from manufacturing and into different technologies that take less out of the environment, and he asked if a sewer system is really needed for where we’re going.

“We’ve done very well over the years. I’ve been here 22, and it’s been a great run,” he said. “But we keep going backwards. Every time I come home there’s another place closed up. There’s folks that can’t afford to even breath, let alone run a business. That was your job, to encourage the entrepreneurs and keep prices down, but the prices just keep going up. If this thing goes through, I’ll be another resident who has to leave town.”