Share this Story: Budget committee endorses $43M in housing programs
Budget committee endorses $43M in housing programs
Megan Stacey
Ward 10 Coun. Stephen Turner speaks during budget talks at London city hall on Friday, Feb. 7. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)
For a council that's consistently described homelessness and a housing crisis as a top priority, Friday's daylong budget meeting, and the tens of millions in spending that was endorsed, was a good start.
For Londoners who want city politicians to sharpen their pencils and bring tax hikes down somewhere near inflation, it may be less of a success.
Budget committee endorses $43M in housing programs Back to video
But politicians seemed to agree that many of the proposed investments in public housing units, more affordable apartment rentals, and plans to tackle homelessness were crucial in London, voting unanimously, or with Ward 10 Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen as the lone opponent, on half a dozen initiatives.
"These all need to go ahead, right now," Deputy Mayor Jesse Helmer said.
He was talking about programs planned for downtown, Richmond Row, and Old East Village, the "core area action plan" to improve the business environment, help the homeless find and keep housing, and attract more people downtown.
But, by the way politicians endorsed a whole slew of housing investments in the latter part of the day, Helmer might as well have been talking about all the proposals laid out in the 2020-23 multi-year budget.
Ward 13 Coun. Arielle Kayabaga, who lived in public housing at one point, made a passionate plea to her colleagues to fork over the cash — a total of $15.5 million, $5 million of which will hit taxpayers — for necessary repairs to those units.
She also was a council representative on the public housing board until it was dissolved last fall amid concerns about a high vacancy and low turnover rate.
"The people who are affected is us. It affects our budget, it affects our community . . . when the province is absent, we have to take the initiative to do something," Kayabaga said.
Her urging turned out not to be needed.
Council, sitting as the strategic priorities and policy committee, gave the OK to the following projects planned for the next four years, among others:
$5 million for supportive housing, which staff estimate will help create about 35 units
$3.6 million more for the Housing Development Corp., to help build an extra 150 affordable housing units a year.
$15.5 million for repairs to public housing units
$7.7 million in city hall funding to help the public housing provider, London Middlesex Community Housing (LMCH), tap federal dollars for more repairs
$5.67 million to boost LMCH security
$5.25 million for LMCH to begin planning "inward and upward" growth — possibly towers — on two public housing properties currently home to townhouses
The votes weren't without debate, however.
Ward 6 Coun. Phil Squire pulled no punches as he grilled the Housing Development Corp., the arm's-length agency created in 2016, and lauded as a more flexible and efficient way to build more affordable housing with city hall funding. ("Affordable units" are generally considered to be those rented at 70 to 80 per cent of average market rent in London.)
"I can't say I get a lot of positive feedback about working with the city (through HDC). It's really important we help (these organizations building affordable housing) . . . apart from just showing them how to fill out a form," Squire said.
He later urged HDC boss Stephen Giustizia to be more transparent with council about the work of the agency. Giustizia told politicians the corporation has had a hand in creating about 100 affordable units a year since it was established.
Debate on the core area action plan dominated the day as politicians squabbled over seemingly minor budget items for more than five hours, including $50,000 a year for public tables and chairs or the same amount for a top-up to the "construction dollars" effort to get people shopping locally despite road and sewer projects.
Ward 10 Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen, right, Ward 9's Anna Hopkins and Ward 8's Steve Lehman listen during budget discussions at London city hall on Friday, Feb. 7. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)
Ward 8 Coun. Steve Lehman, who owns several downtown businesses and sat out a few votes as he consulted with the integrity commissioner about whether he had a conflict, said early on in the debate that politicians should invest with an eye to the future.
"A healthy core is key to a strong city," he said, arguing the more than $18 million in the core area action plan will help leverage private funding and continue momentum in the downtown.
Politicians, in the fourth of six all-day budget meetings, ended the day with average annual tax hikes of about 4.2 per cent, including a 4.9 per cent increase in 2020, though both rates are likely to come down next week when debates resume.
There are 16 new investments still to debate, with at least a handful likely to be very contentious, such as the $12-million Back to the River project to revitalize the forks of the Thames and a $3-million request from Fanshawe College for a new business hub.
Debates resume Feb. 13 in the morning, with a public meeting on the budget scheduled for 6 p.m.
mstacey@postmedia.com
twitter.com/MeganatLFPress
Dipping into surplus
Politicians opted to funda couple of new initiatives by dipping into the 2019 operating budget surplus, instead of leaving taxpayers to shoulder the burden. A $2.8-million program for core area "ambassadors" — they'll be "feet on the street," troubleshooting problems, welcoming people downtown, picking up trash and doling out directions and answers, among other roles — was the first project tossed into the surplus spending sphere. A $600,000 pilot of free municipal parking in some areas hard-hit by construction or home to special events also will be funded from the surplus, while reserves will be tapped for a $200,000 top-up to construction dollars, which will be handed out to encourage local shopping at businesses on Dundas Place, Richmond Row, and in Old East Village.