HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025 Budget Update Addendum2025 Budget Update
Addendum
December 20, 2024
Overall growth projections for Bowmanville for the next 10
years warrant the addition of a Fire Station to service new
development areas. As directed by Council, Clarington has
retained a consultant to manage the design and build of a
new Operations Centre, Fire Station and Fire Training Facility.
Whereas growth has slowed significantly over the last two
years and is anticipated to continue into 2025, it is not
projected at this time that assessment growth will be
sufficient in 2028 to fund the 20 firefighters required to
operate a one-truck Fire Station. Given the delayed
anticipated timeline for growth, the 2025 Budget Update
included a phased approach for the facility, as bringing the
Fire Station online in 2028 would require staffing costs
representing an approximate 4 per cent tax increase.
Since the 2025 Budget Update was presented to Council,
Mayor Foster met with staff to closely review growth
projections and alternative options to build the Fire Station
concurrently with the Operations and Training Centre. Staff
worked collaboratively to find an alternative staffing
approach should growth continue on this slower pace. This
allows the Fire Station to take advantage of construction
efficiencies and ensure that the north Bowmanville area is
ready for the projected growth to protect community safety
and responsiveness.
As such, Mayor Foster has made the following
amendment to the 2025 Capital Program:
A fire station will now be included in the Public Works
Operations and Training Centre project, adding an additional
$8.3 million to the total project cost. The fire station portion
will also be funded by development charges. Once it is ready
to be operational in 2028, Clarington Council will consider
the staffing approach for the fire hall. If the growth
assessment value is not sufficient to cover operating
expenses, the required staff will either be funded through
additional tax levy; or, depending on growth, a fire truck and
staff can be moved from Fire Hall 1 on an interim basis to
improve response times for new development until growth
assessment can support the additional staff required.
This brings the total proposed 2025 gross Capital Budget to
$134,735,156 and total debenture to $95,500,000.
As the project is to be funded by development charges,
there is no impact to the proposed tax levy.
Memo attached.
Public Services
Date prepared: Friday, December 20, 2024
Focus/Issue
During the budget presentation, questions were posed regarding the deletion of the Fire
Station from the budget as part of the Public Works Operations, Fire Training Centre
project (known as CODEFS).
Staff have completed an evaluation of the available information and have highlighted
key information for consideration through this memo.
Discussion
Information For Consideration of Fire Station in CODEFS Build
Fire presented CEFS Emergency Response Review and Recommendation Report,
ESD-002-23 to Council in 2023. This report recognized the impact future growth would
have on emergency response and made recommendations regarding growth of CEFS
as a result of that growth.
Currently, Bowmanville is the most populous urban center in Clarington, generating
50% of all emergency call demand in Clarington. Call demand will continue to increase
as planned growth in Bowmanville is realized in the coming years.
The location of the planned growth, according to the International standard NFPA 1710
best practice for fire services in urban areas, will be outside of the recommended 4
minute initial response standard.
The Fire Station, and associated staffing required, would ensure depth of coverage as
outlined in NFPA 1710, specifically a response of 15 firefighters in 8 minutes, 90% of
the time.
The location of the CODEFS Build is a strategically ideal location to build a fire station.
This will enable CEFS to maintain initial response and depth of coverage response as
per NFPA 1710.
Planned growth numbers provided by Clarington’s Planning and Infrastructure Services
Department will be serviced by the new Fire Station as follows:
Secondary Plan / Estimated Estimated Estimated Initial Depth of
Bowmanville West
Urban Centre and
Major Transit
8,000 15,000 Ongoing x
Brookhill 2,700 7,400 Ongoing x
Bowmanville East 2,400 4,286 Ongoing x
Soper Hills 5,200 12,000 5-15 yrs x
Soper Springs 1,200 2,800 5-15 yrs x
Staffing for Fire Station
Council resolution #C-094-23 referred the staffing recommendations contained in the
Emergency Response Service review to budget.
The current 2024-2027 Multi Year Budget has approved 20 Full Time Fire Fighters to be
hired in 2025 at the completion of the Station 1 renovation.
The need for an additional 20 Full Time Fire Fighters and a new fire truck would be
required to staff the new fire station as part of the CODEFS project. Given the
proposed project timeline, this would be part of the 2028 Budget submission for Council
consideration.
Should assessment growth not be at the projected levels by the time the 20 Firefighters
for the new station were required, staff from the second truck at Station 1 and the
existing fire truck, could be relocated to the new station, until such time a second truck
could be added back to Station 1.
Key Messages
• The addition of the Fire Station as part of the CODEFS project would support
future growth and support response and depth of coverage for emergency
response.
• Future operational costs, specifically the addition of 20 full time firefighters will be
determined by Council as part of the 2028 budget deliberations.
• Should assessment growth not be realized by 2028, council could direct staff to
relocate 20 fire fighters from Station 1 to the new station.
Contact
Lee-Ann Reck, Deputy CAO
T: 905-623-3379 ext. 2508
lreck@clarington.net
Dave Speed, Fire Chief
Public Services Department
T: 905-623-3379 ext. 2802
dspeed@clarington.net