Assuming no additional amendments, the 2025 and 2026 budgets for the Town of Innisfil will be deemed adopted by the conclusion of tonight's regular council meeting.
While it didn’t lessen the tax burden on residents, one major project was removed from the budget to allow for further discussion.
Innisfil Fire and Rescue Services’ Station 6 capital project was axed — at least temporarily — by councillors at their Jan. 15 meeting, when they discussed the draft two-year budget and moved the process forward for final ratification. Councillors seemed to agree that a new station is necessary for the town, but getting to that point requires additional analysis.
Station 6 is proposed to be a 20,000-square-foot facility in the Innisfil Heights section of the municipality. The new building would include a composite-staffed fire station, administrative headquarters, training centre, and town emergency operations centre.
“Development in the employment lands has proceeded as planned at an accelerated rate and pace,” fire staff indicated in its project justification document, included as part of budget proceedings. “As a result, a fire station is required to serve the area and growth in the Stroud, Alcona and west of Highway 400 areas. In addition, calls for service on the 400 Highway are increasing each year as identified in the community risk assessment.”
Innisfil Heights had specifically been targeted for a station in the Ernest and Young report completed while discussions were ongoing with the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury to potentially amalgamate the two municipal fire operations. While that report is more recent than the town’s current fire master plan, the growth it projected hasn’t necessarily aligned with reality.
That’s one of the reasons councillors wanted to take a step back on the project.
“We still think Station 6 is required, but we just think there are some alternatives in terms of how we accomplish that,” said Coun. Alex Waters.
Waters, Coun. Kevin Eisses, and Coun. Fred Drodge led the charge for removal. Drodge was particularly concerned about the amount of money being earmarked for Station 6 and had one idea for saving a significant portion of it.
“I’m really dead set on trying to see if we can put it on lands that we already own,” he said. “To me, that’s a $6 million savings right there.”
That $6 million cost was earmarked for 2025 to acquire the land. The remainder of the approximately $29-million project was set for 2026, to build and furnish the facility. Operating costs for the new fire station are estimated to be nearly $120,000 annually by 2029, plus the cost of any new firefighters and support staff hired.
The cost of the project is supported through development charges, council was told, as the new build is growth-related. Chief administrative officer Oliver Jerschow indicated analysis could be completed without removing the item from the budget, if Station 6 was a certainty in the eyes of council.
“The budget is not approving a specific building on a specific property yet,” he said.
“If you’re not sure we need Station 6 at all, then I think that would be the scenario where you should pull it out of the budget because that’s really the fundamental decision that’s being embedded in the budget: yes, we need this, and yes we’re going to set aside the money for it,” the CAO added.
That was the direction Drodge was headed, who agreed the growth in Innisfil required an updated, larger fire facility.
“My concerns are the operational costs of having so many stations,” he said. “So, yes, I see the need for a new fire hall. I’m not sure I see the need for a sixth fire hall.”
Waters and Eisses looked at the future growth in Stroud, particularly near the Yonge Street and Innisfil Beach Road intersection, as worthy of analysis. Waters wondered if there was a need for stations in Stroud and Innisfil Heights or if the municipality would be better served by a station somewhere in the middle.
Eisses shared similar thoughts to Drodge, in that growth required a new building, but too many variables were present to move forward during these deliberations.
“But to pass it as is ... there’s a $6-million land cost in that budget. Why put that in the capital budget if we’re going to move it somewhere else?” Eisses said. “There’s going to be growth around the town campus where the new hospital is. We need to think that through a little bit more.”
Eisses pointed to the forthcoming renewal of the town’s official plan in wanting to wait, while Fire Chief Brent Thomas informed councillors of another document that could sway their decision: a draft updated fire master plan.
Thomas said council should expect to see that document toward the end of February.