Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutFND-014-01 .. ~ CI!Jlmgton REPORT FINANCE DEPARTMENT Date: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2001 Resolution #:(;PA- fcr-lo - 0 J File #: 11/ G. FND-014-01 By-law #: Meeting: Report #: Subject: 2002 COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT FUND (CRF) ALLOCATION Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1, THAT Report FND-014-01 be received; and 2. THAT all appropriate documentation required by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) be forwarded by the January 11, 2002 deadline;, 3. THAT it is the intent of Council to use the CRF Allocations for the benefit of taxpayers; and 4. THAT the Municipality accepts the CRF Allocations in accordance with the Ministry's terms and conditions. Reviewed bQ ht..JLO ~ Franklin Wu Chief Administrative Officer NMT/hjl 945 REPORT NO.: FND-014-01 PAGE 2 BACKGROUND The Province is continuing their commitment to retain the current Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) system for the 2002 year (Attachment "A"), The Municipality of Clarington's total CRF Funding will be $116,000, being paid in four equal payments of $29,000. In order for the Municipality to receive its first quarter payment, staff must comply with the conditions of providing to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing the following, by the specified deadline date of January 11, 2002: 1. A Council Resolution declaring the Municipality's: (a) intent to use the CRF Allocations they will receive for the benefit of taxpayers; and (b) acceptance of the CRF Allocations in accordance with these terms and conditions by January 11, 2002; 2, Their 2001 Financial Information Returns (FIRs) in accordance with the deadline to be set by MMAH; and 3, Their 2002 tax rate by-laws by September 30, 2002. Failure to meet the deadline could result in the CRF Allocations funds being withheld, Attachments: Attachment #1 - Letter from Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing 946 REPORT NO.: FND-014-01 PAGE 3 Interested party to be advised of Council's decision: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing C/o Municipal Finance Branch 777 Bay Street, 13th Floor Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E5 CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T (905)623-3379 F (905)623-0608 947 Attachment "A" Ministry of Finance Office of the Deputy Minister Frost Building South 7 Queen's Park Cr Toronto ON M7 A 1 Y7 Tel (416) 325-1590 Fax (416) 325-1595 Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Office of the Deputy Minister ~ Ontario 777 Bay Street Toronto, ON MOO 2E5 Tel (416) 585-7100 www.mah.gov.on.ca November 9, 2001 Dear Treasurer/Clerk-Treasurer, In a letter to Heads of Council from the Ministers of Finance and Municipal Affairs and Housing, municipalities were reminded of the Province's commitment to retain the current Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) system with some administrative improvements. As a follow-up, this letter will provide you with more details on your 2002 allocations including the new Transit Bonus, the 2001 year-end reconciliation, 2002 municipal reporting requirements and future Ministry of Finance initiatives. A breakdown of the calculations involved in your 2002 CRF allocation is enclosed for your information. 2002 CRF Allocations The 2002 CRF amounts received by municipalities will be equal to the adiusted amounts you received in 2001. Specifically, your 2002 CRF amounts will be equal to your 2001 CRF amounts adjusted for approved land ambulance costs and for eligible LSR costs in annexed areas, Eligible municipalities will continue to receive the CRF Bonus and Supplementary Assistance components of the CRF program. Transit Bonus On September 27,2001, Premier Mike Harris announced a $9 billion plan for new transit funding over the next 10 years that will help strengthen the economy and protect the environment. The Province will invest $3.25 billion - reducing the municipalities' share of eligible transit fleet replacement costs from 100 per cent to one-third. The government will also take back responsibility for funding and operating GO Transit. To ensure that CRF-eligible municipalities fully benefit from the September 27,2001 announcement, the Province has created the new CRF Transit Bonus. This bonus, which is in addition to the CRF Base, CRF Bonus and Supplementary Assistance, will be used to fully offset any reduction in CRF resulting from lower municipal transit capital and GO Transit costs. ...2 948 Treasurer/Clerk-Treasurer Page 2 Your 2002 CRF payments, including the CRF Base, CRF Bonus, Supplementary Assistance and Transit Bonus, will be processed by the end of the first month in each municipal quarter. That is, by the end of January, April, July and October 2002, 2001 Year-End Reconciliation A 2001 year-end reconciliation will be done in October 2002 with adjustments made to reflect LSR cost changes. For those municipalities that require additional CRF to offset their 2001 net LSR costs, the Ministry of Finance will process a separate CRF payment in 2002 that reflects the increase in your costs. For those municipalities that experienced a decrease in 2001 costs, your 2003 CRF quarterly payments will be decreased to reflect your subsequent overpayment. 2002 CRF Conditions In an effort to avoid duplication and to streamline the CRF reporting process, we have changed the CRF reporting requirements for the 2002 CRF allocations. Responding to the feedback we received from our stakeholders during our province-wide CRF consultations this past summer, municipalities receiving 2002 CRF payments will be required to submit to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing a council resolution, 2001 Financial Information Returns (FIRs) and 2002 tax rate by-laws. Specific details on the 2002 CRF allocation conditions are attached. Please note that in order for your first quarter 2002 payment to be processed in a timely manner, you will be required to submit your council resolution to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing by January 11, 2002. Those municipalities that do not meet the conditions outlined may be subject to having all or a portion of their CRF payments withheld. Future Initiatives Over the next several months, the Ministry of Finance will be hosting CRF information sessions, which will provide details to municipal staff on the CRF program and its administrative improvements. Details of the information seminars will follow. If you have any questions and/or concerns regarding your 2002 CRF allocations and your 2002 reporting requirements, please contact your local Municipal Services Office of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. ...3 949 Treasurer/Clerk- Treasurer Page 3 Bob Christie Deputy Minister of Finance Attachment 950 W. Michael Fenn Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Conditions of Community Reinvestment Fund Allocations Reporting requirements have been attached to the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) since 2000. Whereas financial information on all municipal revenues and expenditures, including the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF), is already reported by municipalities to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) through the Financial Information Returns (FIRs), the CRF reporting process has been streamlined for 2002. The Ministry of Finance hereby sets forth the conditions that apply to the receipt of Community Reinvestment Fund allocations ("CRF Allocations") under the Local Services Realignment (LSR) initiative. Acceptance of a CRF Allocation constitutes agreement with the below-mentioned statements and terms and conditions. The CRF Allocation consists mainly of the CRF Base, as well as the CRF Bonus, Transit Bonus and Supplementary Assistance, The CRF Base is a grant paid quarterly to eligible municipalities, as defined by the Province in its sole discretion, to offset the costs of services transferred to municipalities under the LSR initiative. CRF Base Allocations are determined by a formula that calculates the difference between net LSR costs, as defined by the Province and available residential education tax room for each municipality, as defined by the Province. The Province may make positive or negative adjustments to CRF Base Allocations resulting from the 2001 year-end CRF reconciliation which will impact the CRF Base Allocations for 2003 and subsequent years. Municipal councils ultimately decide how CRF Allocations (in total) are spent and/or used for the benefit of taxpayers. In making this decision, municipal councils will be guided by their obligation to provide effective and efficient delivery of services to taxpayers. As with all budgetary decisions, municipal councils recognize that they are directly accountable to taxpayers for their use of CRF Allocations. Municipalities are required to submit to MMAH (see address below): (i) a council resolution declaring the municipality's: a) intent to use the CRF Allocations they will receive for the benefit of taxpayers; and b) acceptance of the CRF Allocations in accordance with these terms and conditions by January 11 , 2002; (ii) their 2001 Financial Information Returns (FIRs) in accordance with the deadline to be set by MMAH; and (iii) their 2002 tax rate by-laws by September 30, 2002. Failure to meet these deadlines may result in the withholding of CRF Allocations until these documents have been provided to the Province. Address: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing c/o Municipal Finance Branch 777 Bay Street, 13th Floor Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E5 951 MUNICIPAL SERVICES OFFICES CENTRAL: 777 Bay Stree~ 141h Floor Toronto ON MoG 2E5 General Inquiry: (416) 585-6226 Toll Free # 1-800-668-0230 FAX: (416) 585-6882 SOUTHWESTERN: 659 Exeter Roa!1, 2nd Floor London ON N6t: 1 L3 General Inquiry: (519) 873-4020 Toll Free #: 1-800-265-4736 FAX: (519) 873-4018 EASTERN: 8 Estate Lane Rockwood House Kingston ON K7M 9A8 General Inquiry: (613) 548-4304 Toll Free #: 1-800-267-9438 FAX: (613) 548-6822 NORTHWESTERN: 435 James St. S., Suite 223 Thunder Bay ON P7E 657 General Inquiry: (807) 475-1651 Toll Free #: 1-800-465-5027 FAX: (807) 475-1196 NORTHEASTERN: 159 Cedar Street, Suite 401 Sudbury ON P3E 6A5 General Inquiry: (705) 564-0120 Toll Free #: 1-800-461-1193 FAX: (705) 564-6863 952 Local Services Realignment (LSR) 2002 Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) Allocation $ Thousands Town of Clarington Region of Durham 2002 CRF Package 1. Calculated CRF . Equivalent to Year-End 2000 I 0 I + 2. Adjustment for 2001 Land Ambulance Costs I 0 I = 3. Total 2002 CRF Base Allocation I ,0 I + 4. Transit Bonus I 0 I + 5. CRF Bonus I 0 I + 6. Supplementary Assistance I 116 I = 7. Total CRF Funding for 2002 I 116 I 2002 Payments CRF Allocation of $116,000 will be paid in 4 equal installments of $29,000 Ontario Ministry of Finance 10402 953 I!~~~~o~m MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGT FINANCE ON Ontario Ministry of Finance