1. What should the Village be trying to achieve?
Cumberland understandably places a high value on preserving the character and qualities that make this community special. At the same time, a municipality needs a strong and productive tax base if it is going to maintain its infrastructure and provide the services, amenities and improvements residents need and want.
a) Should one of your (Council’s) core goals be to increase the financial strength and productivity of the Village so that we can afford to maintain what we have and invest in the things residents value?
A: Yes, and also recognising that some of the most valued ‘things’ are not physical things.
b) If so, what kinds of decisions would you prioritize to accomplish that?
A: Smart policies that encourage high value industry and business, good staff who can see opportunity and strong solutions, more multifamily properties or downtown density for taxation efficiency, grants to obtain our share of Canada’s wealth from higher levels of government
2. How should that philosophy influence development decisions?
Every development decision has long-term financial implications. Development generates property-tax revenue, but it can also create obligations to maintain and eventually replace roads, water, sewer and other infrastructure.
One approach is to get more value from infrastructure we already have — through incremental infill, allowing properties to subdivide into smaller lots, and accommodating more homes and businesses along existing serviced streets — before expanding outward and taking on additional infrastructure.
c) How would you weigh smaller-lot subdivision and incremental infill on existing serviced streets against outward growth and new subdivisions that require additional infrastructure?
A: Strong preference. Plenty of opportunity within the urban containment boundary for next 20 years if this is done right. There is also the possibility that some industries may choose to move towards the Bevan Lands and free up land for residential development, if those land values make that move attractive.
d) Would you support asking staff to routinely provide Council with information comparing the expected municipal revenue generated by a development with the long-term lifecycle cost of maintaining and eventually replacing the infrastructure required to serve it?
A: Yes – and we are already making steps towards that. Asset management team in formation, a recent new staff position to support that work, and a project – developed but not yet funded – to develop a lifecycle analysis model.