Tree Maintenance Backlog -

Funding from Department Sources

(All Wards)

The Policy and Finance Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (October 8, 1999) from the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism, confirming that the funding in the amount of $650,000.00 for this initiative can be used for contracts awarded in 1999 with expenditures occurring in the year 2000:

Purpose:

To report on Council's request, as per Clause No.1 contained in Report No. 6 of The Policy and Finance Committee, which was adopted, as amended September 28, 29, 1999, for the Commissioner to identify the potential of the Economic Development, Culture and Tourism Department to absorb up to $350,000.00 within the 1999 Operating Budget to provide funds to reduce the outstanding service backlog in forestry services.

Funding Implications:

The Department is unable to absorb the $350,000.00 in its 1999 operating budget. The $350,000.00 has been included as a budget pressure in our year 2000 operating budget submission.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the $350,000.00 of the $1,000,000.00 1999 request for funding to reduce the forestry backlog be deferred for consideration with the year 2000 operating budget;

(2)total funding for this initiative remain at $2,700,000.00, funded by $650,000.00 from 1999 contingency funds as approved by Council September 28, 29, 1999, with the balance of $2,050,000.00 identified as an operating budget item for 2000;

(3)that an update report on the progress being made to reduce the forestry backlog be submitted to the Economic Development and Parks Committee in March 2000; and

(4)appropriate City officials be authorized to give effect thereto.

Background:

Council approved the program to aggressively reduce the outstanding backlog of forestry service calls which currently stand at approximately 15,000 service requests. Funding of $1,000,000.00 was requested for 1999 to reduce approximately 40 percent of the outstanding backlog, with the remaining $1,700,000.00 to be allocated in 2000 to eliminate the balance of the backlog. With respect to the request for $1,000,000.00 in 1999, Council approved the funding of $650,000.00 from the Corporate Contingency Account and requested that the Department report back on where and how the remaining $350,000.00 of the 1999 request could be absorbed within other Departmental sources.

The Department is not in a position to absorb the 1999 request of $350,000.00 from its 1999 budget. We are facing a number of budget pressures which will not allow for this to be absorbed in 1999. Accordingly, we would recommend that this portion of the 1999 request be deferred until 2000 and it will be identified as a budget pressure. This will mean that a total of $2,050,000.00 of the $2,700,000.00 program cost will be deferred for consideration with the 2000 Operating Budget.

Conclusion:

Since the department is unable to absorb the additional $350,000.00 from its 1999 budget, we have no alternative but to defer this element of the program to 2000. This will mean that we will only be able to eliminate approximately 25 percent of the current backlog in 1999. This will be accomplished by focusing on the priorities as identified in our earlier reports to the Economic Development and Parks Committee.

Contacts:

Richard Ubbens, City Forester, Tel: 392-1894

Karen Thorne-Stone, Director of Administration and Support Services, Tel: 395-6152.