BUDGET COMMITTEE (STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ON BUDGET)

MINUTES

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 10:00 A.m. - 4:00 P.m.

Council Chamber, 3rd Floor City Hall, 1841 Argyle Street, Halifax

Present:

• Deputy Mayor Cathy Deagle Gammon, Chair
• Mayor Andy Fillmore
• Councillor David Hendsbee
• Councillor Trish Purdy
• Councillor Sam Austin
• Councillor Tony Mancini
• Councillor Laura White
• Councillor Virginia Hinch
• Councillor Shawn Cleary
• Councillor Kathryn Morse
• Councillor Patty Cuttell
• Councillor Janet Steele
• Councillor Nancy Hartling
• Councillor John Young
• Councillor Billy Gillis
• Councillor Jean St-Amand

Regrets:

• Councillor Becky Kent

Staff:

• Jerry Blackwood, Executive Director of Finance & Asset Management/Chief Financial Officer
• Karen Brown, Acting Municipal Solicitor
• Iain MacLean, Municipal Clerk
• Dorothy Maponga, Legislative Assistant

The following does not represent a verbatim record of the proceedings of this meeting. 

The agenda, reports, supporting documents information items circulated and video (if available) are online at halifax.ca. 

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1.

CALL TO ORDER AND LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Chair called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. and acknowledged that the meeting took place in the traditional and ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq people, and that we are all treaty people. 

1.1

SPECIAL PRESENTATION – POET LAUREATE – 10:00 a.m.

Anna Quon, Poet Laureate, presented an original poem titled To A New Council to Council.

2.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES 

None

3.

APPROVAL OF THE ORDER OF BUSINESS AND APPROVAL OF ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS

Additions: None 

Deletions: None 

MOVED by Councillor Hendsbee, seconded by Councillor Austin

THAT the agenda be approved as presented. 

MOTION PUT AND PASSED.

4.

CALL FOR DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

None

5.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair noted there were no registered speakers and called three times for any other members of the public wishing to speak; there were none. 

6.

Capital Program Update & Advanced Tenders

The following was before Budget Committee:

• Staff report dated November 15, 2024
• Correspondence from Rita Nigam, Norm Collins
• Staff presentation dated December 10, 2024 

Crystal Nowlan, Director, Asset Management gave a presentation. 

MOVED by Councillor Mancini, seconded by Councillor Hendsbee

THAT Budget Committee recommend Halifax Regional Council:

1. Approve the schedule of 2025/26 Advanced Tender Requests as per Attachment 1 of the staff report dated November 15, 2024; and

2. Increase Capital Account CP240001 Lockview High School Park All Weather Field by $2,300,000 for a total 2025/26 budget of $4,200,000.

Maggie MacDonald, Executive Director, Parks & Recreation, Jerry Blackwood, Executive Director of Finance & Asset Management/Chief Financial Officer, Nowlan, Richard Harvey, Manager, Policy & Planning, Brad Anguish, Commissioner of Operations and Ed Surette, Director, Project Planning &Transit Asset Management responded to questions of clarification from Budget Committee. 

Peter Duncan, Director, Infrastructure Planning, Anne Sherwood, Director, Transportation Design & Construction, Jeff Spares, Director, Strategic Planning & Design and Roddy MacIntyre, Director, Traffic & Parking Management responded to questions of clarification from Budget Committee.

Deputy Mayor Deagle Gammon stepped down from the Chair and Mayor Fillmore assumed the Chair.

Deputy Mayor Deagle Gammon resumed the Chair.

Spares and Nowlan responded to questions of clarification from Budget Committee. 

MOTION PUT AND PASSED. (15 in favour, 1 against) 

In favour: Budget Committee Chair Deputy Mayor Deagle Gammon, Mayor Fillmore, Councillors Hendsbee, Purdy, Austin, Mancini, White, Hinch, Cleary, Morse, Cuttell, Steele, Hartling, Gillis, St-Amand

Against: Councillor Young

Not present: Councillor Kent

7.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m.