$3.5M Georgina MURC, Civic Centre design contracts 'premature'

Proper analysis, delivery options, public engagement on projects 'woefully inadequate' to date

Yorkregion.com
May 10, 2019
Heidi Riedner

Council put its foot on the accelerator for design contracts totalling $3.5 million for the new MURC and Civic Centre last week, despite numerous requests for the town to put the brakes on both.

The move was “disappointing” to Peter Waring, who made a deputation to council as spokesperson for the budding Georgina Fair Tax Association, which requested council defer both the $2.24-million MURC contract and $1.3-million Civic Centre contract, calling them “premature.”

Stating public engagement, evaluation of delivery options and needs analysis on both projects to date have been “woefully inadequate”, Waring questioned how council could possibly deliver a decision on design concepts in their absence.

“The background work has not been done and it is essential before design concepts can be properly considered,” he said.

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Waring -- along with Sutton resident Bill Trainor and Reg. Counc. Rob Grossi, who both recommended shelving the MURC contract for much the same reasons -- felt it was more fiscally prudent and responsible to the taxpayer to wait until the results of the province’s current regional governance review were completed before spending the money on design.

“What’s the hurry?” all three asked.

“There’s no downside to waiting until the (review) is completed to see what, if any, delivery changes there might be of local services in Georgina,” Waring said.

While both contracts got the green light, Waring hopes the group’s other request to elected officials to “come clean” on the long-term implications of two of the largest capital projects to date, totalling more than $72 million, will come to fruition.

Waring said over the past five years, council has raised taxes well above the rate of inflation and that was without carrying a debt load of $100 million.

“Council needs to clearly evaluate and inform taxpayers of this debt load going forward. They may not want to support these capital projects as planned once they fully understand what it means to their property taxes. Most are aware their taxes are going up 3.6 per cent this year, but I don’t think they are aware of the long-term impacts.”

The group also believes expenditures of this magnitude should be supported by market research, where results are statistically representative of the Georgina community, and a business plan that actually lays out the anticipated state of revenues and expenditures.

“To do anything less would be irresponsible and would not be in the interest of the taxpayers of Georgina," Waring said.

He added while the advocacy group’s aim is to be a community voice and work co-operatively with council, the most consistent message from those who have signed up so far is that “council’s mind is made up when it comes to decisions.”

Trainor certainly feels that way when it comes to "ramming through" design contracts when the YMCA option for the MURC -- including a deputation by senior officials scheduled at council a week later -- has not been fully explored.

Mayor Margaret Quirk, however, said the contracts were a necessary step forward to start the next phase of “fleshing out” the services and their corresponding footprints, as well as public engagement sessions set to begin at the end of the month under the process.

“Nothing is carved in stone,” she said, adding the “exit clause” written in to both contracts allows the town to step back or downsize at any point if things change.