Roads and recreation are big spenders, but Rec is big earner

October 9, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

There’s no shortage of people taking advantage of services offered by the Town of Aurora – but while residents appear to enjoy the services offered by the municipality, they have many more options compared to residents of other towns, according to a report.

According to consultants, the review was carried out with a “focus on residents” and managing growth within the community all the while maintaining an “efficient and effective” service delivery.

Looking at 40 services offered to residents divided among eight municipal departments, the report examined services such as building permits and expenses, to litigation involving the Town, to recreation programs like special events and fitness. 25 of these services were deemed to be mandatory, and the balance “discretionary”, meaning they could be eliminated “in theory” to reduce operating costs.”

Comments taken in from focus groups included input from Councillors, as well as directors and managers at Town Hall.

It wasn’t all rosy, however. Councillors said communication to residents could be improved, along with a more efficient budget process, and a “concern” that services like fitness “duplicate” services provided by others, including businesses, in the community.

Looking at how Aurora compared to similar services provided in Newmarket, Whitchurch-Stoufville, Bradford, Pickering, Milton and Fort Erie – communities chosen, they said, based on similar demographics, the size of their annual budget, and services offered to their residents – the Town skewed higher towards their average operating costs per capita.

“Aurora’s operating costs per capita are at the higher end of the comparative group; only less than Bradford West Gwillimbury and Fort Erie,” said consultant Ian Smith in his report to Council. “[That is] potentially a reflection of higher levels of service in Parks and Recreation.”

Broken down, the three other municipalities services came to an average of $1,496 in taxes for a typical household. Aurora is very slightly higher at $1,521. Consultants repeatedly chalk this up to higher than average services offered by Aurora’s Parks and Recreation Department. To get in to the specifics, the report finds the Aurora residents have a 0.53 km of trails per 1,000 persons, versus the average of 0.48. Aurora also has more hectares of publically owned open space per person, clocking in at 6.02 compared to the average of 3.54.

That being said, programs in the Recreation department are taken advantage of much more frequently than the norm, including 372,900 total participant hours in Town events, versus 40,510 on the average, nearly double the amount of participant hours in registered programs.

“It has been observed that Parks and Recreation and Roads offer service levels that exceed that offered by other municipalities and which contributed to higher operating costs,” they concluded. “The Town can decide to reduce service levels to be more aligned with other municipalities and, as a result, reduce the total operating costs. The concern is that reducing service levels would erode the quality of service/life that is expected and valued by the community.”

After presenting his report to Councillors last week, Mr. Smith said that the next steps will be deciding what direction Aurora should take.
“Based on these measures, there is a lot more recreational services being provided,” he said. “Is that what the Town chooses to do going forward? Is that how you want to differentiate the Town? That, for us, becomes a quality of life question and an operating cost question, but is that how you wish to be distinguished?”

With each director taking turns responding to the report, citing overall ways that efficiencies could be reached, Aurora CAO Neil Garbe concluded that how things are today isn’t necessarily the same way they should be tomorrow.

“We all realise that we can’t do the same things today as we’re going to be doing tomorrow,” he said, noting additional efficiencies could be realised in collaborating with other towns in York Region on certain services and programs. “Aurora has always been a willing participant in collaboration with other municipalities. That is something we have to challenge ourselves with.

“We have realised we have done really well with some of the things that are easier to do. Now it is time to roll up the sleeves and look at things that are maybe a little bit more difficult to achieve.”