2025 Budget: Investing in long-term capital projects to serve the community
As the in-depth 2025 budget process continues, this Council session focused on a review of the preliminary capital and rate-supported operating budgets.
What do these budgets include?
- The rate-supported operating budgets are funded by their respective fees and charges, including water and wastewater, stormwater, building services, planning, development and engineering. For example, the water and wastewater budget includes the day-to-day delivery of these operations, in partnership with York Region, plus reserve funds to manage future system replacements.
- The capital budget includes funding for the purchase, construction and financing of capital assets.
The upcoming year will bring us close to the completion of many exciting projects and Council priorities that the Town has invested in over the past five years, including a new pickleball and tennis facilities, Mulock Multi-Use Path, new nature path and picnic area and the extraordinary Mulock Park. The goal of the budget overall is to continue to find the balance between keeping municipal taxes low, while maintaining the high level of services that make Newmarket a top place to live in Canada, investing in our assets and preparing for the future.
Residents can continue to get involved in the process and provide feedback to Council at the following upcoming meetings:
- Committee of the Whole – Review of the tax-supported operating budget and fees and charges: Monday, November 11, 2024
- Committee of the Whole – Presentation of the draft budgets: Monday, December 2, 2024
- Council meeting – Council approval of the 2025 Budget: Monday, December 9, 2024
Watch the budget presentation from the Committee of the Whole on October 21 to hear more or visit newmarket.ca/2025budget.
Establishing a residential parking strategy for the future
Council received an update on the Residential Parking Study, including feedback gathered from over 850 residents this summer through an online survey and pop-up events at Newmarket recreation centres.
The study focuses on areas that are primarily residential and will look at the role parking plays as the population grows. In addition to public consultation conducted over the summer, the consultants have analyzed parking data and demographics, reviewed what neighbouring municipalities do and examined the post-pandemic work patterns and how it impacts parking. Moving into phase two, they will now look at parking requirements, by-laws, private road design standards, residential driveway standards and more.
Council will also participate in an upcoming workshop on December 9 dedicated to the parking study to ask questions and share ideas and feedback on behalf of constituents.
Over the next year, the consultants will continue to engage with the community to develop a strategy to meet parking demands while supporting and promoting urban design standards, enhanced economic development, and accommodating alternative forms of transportation.
Watch the presentation to Council at the October 21 Committee of the Whole meeting to learn about feedback and findings from phase one. Stay in-the-know on this project at HeyNewmarket.ca/ResidentialParkingStudy.
Streamlining and modernizing the development application process
Council reviewed the success of the Development Application Process review staff undertook to ensure Newmarket's processes are more efficient, customer-focused, and ready to meet growing housing demands. The Town worked with municipalities across York Region to improve consistency and internally to streamline the review process, reduce duplication and find areas of continued improvement to speed up the development approval process.
An extensive process mapping exercise showed that a typical site plan process currently takes approximately 13 months to receive approvals. It is anticipated that the improvements could reduce the site plan approval process to approximately 6 to 10 months.
In addition to enhancing processes, the Town added additional public engagement requirements to ensure the community’s voice is heard early in the process. Residents can continue to learn about planning applications at Newmarket.ca/PlanningApplications and the Town now requires a developer-led public engagement meeting as part of the pre-application process, to provide an earlier check in with the community, in addition to the statutory public meeting.
The process enhancements line up with Council’s priority of customer service excellence and creating extraordinary spaces.
Staff will continue to work collaboratively with developers to achieve our common goals of great community building, while maintaining the standards of community design that residents appreciate and expect.
Watch the presentation to Council on October 28 or read the Staff Report to learn more about the development application process.
Non-profit Routes Connecting Communities highlights new initiatives
Routes Connecting Communities provided an update to Council on its new initiatives, recent accomplishments and how Council and the community can get involved.
Routes Connecting Communities is a York Region non-profit organization that delivers safe, affordable and timely transportation, food deliveries, connection and referrals to community programs and services in partnership with local organizations, such as the York Region Food Network, York Regional Police and York Region District School Board.
Their recent initiatives include supporting monthly community dinners (60 residents per month), the Traumatic Incident Response Protocol (TIRP) program launched in partnership with York Region, York Regional Police and quick action grants.
Routes Connecting Communities thanked Council for participating in events and called on the community to help promote the organization’s initiatives and consider volunteering. The organization is also seeking additional space to offer its services within the community. To learn more, watch the presentation and visit routesscc.org.
Organizations interested in presenting a deputation to Council can reach out to clerks@newmarket.ca and learn more about the process at newmarket.ca/meetings