Ratepayers in the Town of Blue Mountains are concerned development projects are moving faster than the town’s infrastructure will allow.
"As you know we have had significant growth in the Town of The Blue Mountains for a number of years. And, there are a lot of positives that go with that, but we do have challenges with regard to the infrastructure to support that growth,” said Jim Torrance, president of the Blue Mountain Ratepayers' Association (BMRA) during a presentation to Grey County council on Feb. 7.
BMRA raised concerns surrounding unsustainable growth in the area and asked county council to consider a moratorium on future developments to give the town and county time to get its infrastructure in order.
“We are hearing from some of our members concerns that growth in the area may not be supported the way it should be and there should be discussion about possibly needing a moratorium on future development so that things don’t get ahead of us,” Torrance said.
Torrance explained the BMRA conducted a survey of its members last year and the top concerns for ratepayers were sustainable growth, financial transparency and accountability and the question of value and efficient service delivery.
“Ninety per cent of our members expressed concern that the flow of money to the county could be compromising our ability to fund the kind of infrastructure we need going forward,” Torrance added.
Jon White, member of the BMRA explained the association wants to see expenditures move forward, particularity in road and works.
“Jim alluded to the county road 19 corridor from 26 and around. Those projects were scheduled for 2020, but have now been pushed off in the capital budget until at least 2022,” White said.
“We know that the studies have not yet been implemented or undertaken, and we have a horrific traffic problem. We need to see the county step forward and get those projects planned out, get them approved and get shovels in the ground. Until such time as that happens, we believe that the county should no longer be approving or accepting development applications, but instead establish a moratorium or a freeze where possible,” he added.
White cited traffic volume as one of the stresses on current infrastructure in the area.
“We have roads that are rated as a second tier rural road. While at the same time, traffic studies show, except for some of the county roads going through Owen Sound, that it has the highest traffic levels in the county and that situation is just not sustainable,” White continued. “This is an area we feel the county should take some action. They should be directing staff to move forward with these things. Yes, there will be upheaval in the development community but it is necessary to get it done. Otherwise, it is going to be a total fiasco.”
The BMRA also presented details on the development charges that are being collected from the Town of The Blue Mountains at the county level, from 2014 to 2018, as well as the expenditures in town during the same timeframe.
“We see that there is about $4.5 million that was collected in development charges for the town of Blue Mountain activity and there was a bit less than a million dollars that was spent in the town of Blue Mountain,” Torrance said.
While the association does recognize that the entire collection has yet to be spent - as only about half of the collections have been spent in that period of time - they still believe there is an under investment in these development charges coming back to Blue Mountain to support the infrastructure.
“We are falling a bit behind in getting infrastructure built from the town level and when we take a look at the numbers from the county level, it just helps to explain why some of our residents have concerns about supported growth going forward. We need investment in infrastructure,” Torrance added.
This was the first time the BMRA has presented to county council. Torrance says the goal of the presentation was to open the lines of communication with the county council and staff and try to get a better understanding of how the county is functioning.
Paul McQueen, Warden of Grey County thanked the BMRA for their presentation, adding that infrastructure concerns have been discussed at the county level.
“We are in the process of working with the Blue Mountains to set up a meeting with the surrounding municipalities and have that conversation about traffic. We realize there is congestion there and certainly have that conversation and see where we can go from there,” McQueen said. “I spoke with the Warden of Simcoe county and he is quite amenable to being a part of that. We know that it is sort of an area where Grey and Simcoe come together but it is a regional thing. So, we are moving forward with having a meeting there.”
While the county council accepted the presentation, there was no direct response to the BMRA’s request of additional expenditure or the establishment of a moratorium.
In its 2020 budget summary, Grey County notes it has seen exceptional assessment growth over the past year with new construction growth in 2019 generating around $1.85 million in new tax revenue. And, in 2020, the new growth will support the levy and reduce the necessary tax increase for existing ratepayers.
The 2020 budget outlines some investment in road infrastructure, including major projects planned on Grey Roads 2, 9, 15, 19 and 29.
“I have been around this area for about 40 years, and I have heard discussions about this for as long as that,” said Rob Potter, deputy mayor of the Town of the Blue Mountains. “One of the reasons I ran for council was to try and see something actually done about it. We have known that these traffic issues were coming. We have known these sustainability issues were coming. And if we don’t tackle them now, and we don’t get everyone on board, it isn’t going to happen. We are going to end up with a mess and we will literally kill the goose that is laying the golden egg, so we all have to work together. The fact that we have a citizen group that is willing to become leaders and show leadership in this, is very important. And, I think it is something we should all take heed of.”
The Grey County 2020 budget is scheduled to be officially approved by council at the Feb. 13 council meeting.
For additional information about the BMRA, visit: http://bmra.ca/
