The proposed municipal asset…

The proposed municipal asset management planning regulation will require a significant amount of staff time over the next four years to implement, as well as on an ongoing basis to review, update and maintain. Between engineering and finance time, this extra staff time will be a least one full time equivalent (FTE) resource, if not more.

As ROMA recently outlined in their response to the proposed regulation, the reporting burden municipalities face will be that much more overwhelming with these changes. Of the 444 municipalities in Ontario, 270 have populations under 10,000 residents. Moreover, 250 municipalities in the Province raise under $50,000 with a 1% tax increase in their annual levies. While Loyalist Township is positioned slightly better at a population of approximately 17,000, the amount of resources that would be required to implement and comply with this regulation would likely result in a 1% tax increase in our annual levy.

Loyalist Township does not have the capacity, the financial resources, nor some of the technical knowledge to deal with the complex and extensive requirements. For example, the regulation has a strong focus on climate change vulnerability: “A commitment to consider asset management planning: the actions that may be required to address the risks and vulnerabilities that may be caused by climate change to the municipality’s infrastructure assets, including to operations requirements, levels of service and life cycle management; and the anticipated costs that could arise from these impacts, and adaptation opportunities that may be undertaken to manage these potential risks.” The proposed regulation is very prescriptive and could require external professional services to assist with completion for many municipalities, including Loyalist.

The proposed municipal asset management planning regulation will result in a tax rate increase to be able to adequately implement and comply with. Asset management planning has already become an integral part of the Township’s budgeting and long term planning processes. Staff intend to continue to work towards some of the goals outlined in the regulation, but will need to balance this work with various other priorities within a timeline that is reasonable and achievable.

Kate Tindal, CPA, CGA
Director of Finance

[Original Comment ID: 210232]