top of page
Search

General Committee – Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 7pm

Updated: Mar 20

Capital Grants and Infrastructure funding amendments, 2025 Housing CIP programs, adjusting the Official Plan and Design Principles



The City did not publish the Agenda until late Monday (contrary to City's own Procedural Bylaw) - our team apologizes for the delay in getting the summary completed


Meeting Location: Council Chambers or online


All members of Council in attendance


🗣️🏙️ Public Meetings

  • Nil



🧑‍🏫📑 Presentations

  • Nil



⏸️⏯️ Deferred Business

  • Nil



📝📑 Reports of Reference, Advisory or Special Committees


🧑‍💼🕴  Executive Committee

❄️🚶 Walkway Winter Maintenance Pilot

📋📜 Terms of Reference

  • APPROVED on consent

  • Amend the Procedural Bylaw to add the Executive Committee as a Reference Committee with the following mandate and objectives:

    • Mandate

      • To provide strategic oversight of City matters, focusing on the implementation and monitoring of strategic initiatives, and international and intergovernmental relations

    • Objectives

      • To make recommendations on:

        • Items for Discussion to whether they align with Council priorities

        • Council's strategic plan and priorities

        • Governance policy and structure

        • Financial planning and budgeting - Quarterly Updates

        • Strategic Project Updates

          • Performing Arts Centre

          • Sports Field

          • Lakehead University

          • Recreation Centre

          • Cadets/Southshore

          • and any strategic project updates as motioned by Council


🚸🚨  Community Safety Committee

🚸🛑 Adult School Crossing Guard Program

🚶🛟 Pedestrian Safety - Duckworth and Napier

🚦🧐 Investigation - Stoplight at Johnson Street and Grove Street Intersection

🚦📸 Red Light Cameras


💸🤷  Affordability Committee

🏰🙏 Municipal Heritage Register Listed Property Request - 64 Mary Street

  • APPROVED on consent

  • Recommendation:  Add this property to the Municipal Heritage Registry as a listed property

🔔🗣️ Attracting A New Town Crier

  • APPROVED on consent

  • Recommendation:  Ask staff to undertake a Request of Expression of Interest (RFEI) to seek a new Town Crier and report back to the Heritage Barrie Committee


🏦🧑‍⚖️  Finance and Responsible Governance Committee

🕵🦹 2024 Fraud and Wrongdoing Program, 2024 Internal Audit, 2025 Work Plan

  • APPROVED on consent

  • Report:  https://barrie.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=13810282&GUID=4C0C9CF5-6D94-4932-A08F-0AE058DF14E6 

  • A summary of the 2024 Fraud and Wrongdoing Program Activity

    • seven reports were submitted in 2024

  • A summary of all 2024 Internal Audit Activity

    • Several projects were deferred to 2025, due to resource limitations, including non-standard procurement compliance, APLI Payments process review, and Staff Overtime process review (the non-standard procurement compliance seems especially troublesome, and out of line with Council's strategic priority of Responsible Governance, specifically "ensure accountability and transparency" and "financial stewardship")

  • and a draft 2025 Internal Audit Work Plan

  • Recommendations:

    • Receive as information the 2024 Fraud and Wrongdoing Program Activity report

    • Receive as information the 2024 Summary of Internal Audit Activity (Appendix "A" of the report)

    • Approve the 2025 Internal Audit Work Plan (Appendix "B" of the report)

🎾💸 Barrie Community Tennis Club Fee Increase

🪑🌳 Bench for Wilkins Walk

🚲🅿️ Bike Racks in Parks (Ward 10)

☀️💡 Solar Light Fixtures at Golden Meadow Park

🔩🏆 Fixtures for Barrie Sports Hall of Fame


🏛️🫂 Infrastructure and Community Investment Committee



📑🗂 Staff Reports


💰📊 Capital Grants and Infrastructure Funding

  • HELD by Thomson

  • Report: https://barrie.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=13934453&GUID=9B7EC833-3869-4A58-A786-BB7F373FDA1A

  • Recommending changes to several projects in the 2025 Capital Plan, which will:

    • allow the city to take advantage of grant opportunities from the province

    • advance completion of key construction projects, to enable housing and employment land

    • advance funding approvals to allow for more timely project completion and mitigate significant infrastructure risks

    • align construction timing to minimize disruptions to motorists

    • complete housekeeping adjustments, returning excess funding to reserves

  • Recommendation: Amend the Capital Plan by advancing and adjusting the funding for projects shown in the Financial Implications section of the report, resulting in:

    • Net increase in Grant funding of $53,536,937

    • Net decrease in Tax Capital Reserve funding of $552,687

    • Net decrease in Tax Debt funding of $3,292,422

    • Net decrease in Wastewater Capital Reserve funding of $329,418

    • Net increase in Water Capital Reserve funding of $300,036

    • Net decrease in DC Reserve funding of $48,702,847

    • Net increase in Canada Community Building Fund funding of $220,501

    • Net decrease in Province of Ontario Cost Sharing of $3,419,798

  • Thomson held to allow Nuttall to speak on this item

  • APPROVED (vote not shown)


🏘️ 💰 2025 Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP) Programs and Budget

  • APPROVED on consent

  • Report: https://barrie.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=13934461&GUID=53644974-9C8F-45FF-B25D-0F3FE58E8824

  • Recommending 2025 Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP) program offerings and associated budgets to maximize the currently available funding

  • Recommendations:

    • Transfer $340,871.34 from the former CIP Reserve to the Housing CIP Reserve

    • Allocate up to $5,000,000 of the second Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) payment to the Housing CIP Reserve, when received

    • Continue to offer all the Housing Non-Reserve Fund CIP programs, which include the Approval to Defer Development Charges (DCs) to Occupancy Permit program, the Tax Increment Equivalent Grant (TIEG) program, and the Exemption from Planning Application Fees program

    • Implement the Barrie Bonus for Additional Residential Units (ARUs) program with an initial budget of $195,000 from the Housing CIP Reserve to create new affordable ARUs within the City of Barrie

    • Implement the Housing CIP Homeownership Forgivable Loan program with an initial budget of $281,160 from the Housing CIP Reserve to provide forgivable downpayment loans to qualifying Barrie residents for downpayment assistance when purchasing a qualifying home within the City of Barrie

    • Run at least one Per Door Grant intake period in 2025 after the 2025 Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) instalment has been received

    • Put the Development Charges (DC) Equivalent Grant for Fourplexes on hold

  • Morales belatedly declared a conflict of interest with this item


📋🗺️ City-Initiated Official Plan Amendment to be Consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement (2024)


🚙🏷️ Zoning Bylaw Amendment - 282 King Street (Ward 7)


📐🧑‍💻 Design Principles to Support Livability, Municipal Operations and Road Safety

  • HELD by Thomson

  • Report: https://barrie.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=13934455&GUID=0B0A91D4-1411-4E96-83E3-7CD983F743E0

  • Use the following design principles in the Zoning Bylaw and City Standards to support livability, municipal operations and road safety:

    • new residential developments shall provide private snow storage

    • new residential developments shall provide public snow storage

    • new residential developments are to be designed for conventional snow removal operations

    • new residential developments are to be designed with greater availability of on-street parking

    • new residential developments are to include driveways with increased length

    • access onto collector and arterial streets is to be restricted

  • Phase in the design principles as follows:

    • all new applications will need to comply with the design principles

    • applicants who have completed rezoning and are working toward draft plan of subdivision approval will have 12 months after Council approval to submit their plans without needing to comply with the design principles

    • all current draft plan approval dates will remain effective - should further extensions be sought, the design principles will be in effect and may require amendments to the approved draft plans that are not registered

  • REFERRED, by Thomson, back to staff to undertake further consultation on the principles (including the Parking Committee), investigate standards to support livability, municipal operations and road safety on one-way streets and other items that may arise from the consultation, and report back to General Committee

    • APPROVED, unanimously



📑🗂 Reports of Officers of the Corporation

  • Nil



💡🗣️ Items of Discussion

  • Nil



📥🔄 Circulation List Referrals

  • Nil




Barrie - General Committee - Meeting

Comments

Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page