NOTL councillors should be losing sleep over funding shortage

Niagara-on-the-Lake Coun. Erwin Wiens says his colleagues on council should be losing sleep over financial troubles related to local roads.  

At Tuesday night’s committee-of-the-whole general meeting, councillors received a report on the town’s 2023 infrastructure and asset management plan, which says the town needs to invest more than $8.5 million on roads annually for the next 50 years. 

This would represent a long-term, sustainable funding level, reads the staff report.  

Currently, the annual roads capital program that deals with replacement needs targets a level of approximately $1.7 million from various funding sources, such as the capital levy, federal gas tax fund, and Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund. 

Wiens said it’s this amount the town is “falling behind” by each year, and that the challenge will grow further once assets like bridges are factored into the equation.   “We have a huge infrastructure problem,” said Wiens. “This is not going away and it’s only going to get worse,” added the councillor, who at budget time was critical of the previous council for not making enough capital investments, in his opinion.  

“This should be keeping everybody up at night,” said Wiens, who also noted that the current council has approved some important capital expenditures – and that he wants to see this continue in future budgets.  

Coun. Wendy Cheropita also said she was troubled by the “big gaps” in funding the town is facing. 

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said the problem lies with upper levels of government, such as the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund having a “declining balance every year.”  

The provincial and federal governments previously would fund about 65 per cent of costs related to these types of infrastructure projects. Today, it’s closer to 10 per cent, said Zalepa, adding that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities as well as the Association of Municipalities Ontario are being lobbied currently to find a remedy. “It’s not going to be solved at this table or by councils anywhere,” said Zalepa.  

Interim chief administrative officer Bruce Zvaniga said municipal governments everywhere in the continent are feeling the same pressures. “Many, if not all municipalities across North America, not just in Ontario or Canada, are struggling with significant investment in road infrastructure,” said Zvaniga.  

Coun. Gary Burroughs, who was chair of the meeting, said upper levels of government are “dumping it down” on municipalities, and are not offering enough help.  

Council approved its 2024 capital budget of $10.2 million on Feb. 6, equating to a 5.7 percent increase from last year.    

There are five projects that make up more than 50 per cent of the capital envelope for 2024, the most expensive being the second phase of a reconstruction of Concession 6 Road between Warner and York Roads as it heads to Mewburn Bridge. The bridge was finally repaired and reopened in 2019, after being closed for a decade for safety reasons. The completion of Concession 6 reconstruction, which will close the road when work begins Monday, April 22, was approved with an impact of $1.9 million on the capital budget.     

The project with the second-highest price tag in the town’s capital plan is a Hunter Road watermain replacement between Four Mile Creek Road and Concession 4, at $1.65 million.