Roads, sidewalks focus as Hamilton council signs off on $484M capital plan
Councillors aim to give more attention to deteriorating roads, sidewalks, bike lanes and bridges in 2021 as Hamilton plays catch-up on a massive infrastructure deficit.
They dedicated an additional $6.6 million to the cause mostly by drawing on reserve funds and delaying projects during capital budget deliberations Friday.
Those funds are to be distributed equally across Hamilton's 15 wards as councillors try to pick away crumbling sidewalks and roads.
Noting her position might not be popular," Coun. Maureen Wilson said it makes more sense to spend based on need, not equally across the city.
The Ward 1 councillor noted a road in the west end - Hillcrest Crescent - hasn't been redone since the mid-1950s. I'm not even sure it's a road anymore."
Coun. Brad Clark countered all wards need to be treated fairly and equally" in light of the considerable backlog. But candidly, we're not catching up."
Hamilton faces an annual deficit of about $120 million for roads, bridges and sidewalks, and the $6.6 million will help, Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance, said in an interview.
While it's a move in the right direction, it still leaves a significant gap," Zegarac said.
With council's increase Friday, the city will spend about $115.5 million in 2021.
Overall, council signed off on a 2021 capital spending plan of about $484 million across all of the city's departments.
To do that, the city will draw on a variety of revenue streams, including a 0.4 per cent capital levy bump.
This leaves council with an overall operating budget increase for 2021 of 2.4 per cent on the roughly $1-billion plan. That translates into an average increase of nearly $89 on a home assessed at $380,000 with more operating budget talks ahead in the new year.
Council also agreed to put an additional $1.5 million toward aging city buildings, including arenas, community centres and libraries.
Last month, staff delivered a sobering report that predicted a looming bill of at least $60 million to replace deteriorating roofs on about 135 municipal buildings in coming years. In 2020, the city's roof management program was already increased to $3.3 million.
Overall, the city calculates it faces an infrastructure backlog of $3.7 billion.
Continued work on the city's 10-year transit strategy is the biggest-ticket item in 2021 with about $193 million in projects. Nearly $44 million is allocated to affordable-housing initiatives.
Zegarac noted finance staff will report later on the impact of a series of COVID-19-related funding announcements.
As well, the police budget, which calls for a 2.98 per cent hike, hasn't yet been formally presented to council.
Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com