As part of Orillia's efforts to increase the local affordable housing supply and combat climate change, city council has voted to create two new staff positions — a housing co-ordinator and a climate-change co-ordinator.
The housing co-ordinator will be brought in under a two-year contract, carrying a $103,357 hit to the tax levy for 2023. The person's salary will be $83,695.
The climate-change co-ordinator will cost the city $115,762. The person's salary will be $83,695.
The climate-change co-ordinator will be asked to play a "large role in implementing and monitoring progress with regard to the city’s recently enacted climate action plan." The co-ordinator will also help in securing grant funding for climate-change programs.
The housing co-ordinator will work to "develop and update the city’s affordable housing policies to incentivize additional developments, provide support to city staff and serve as a contact for Simcoe County and the Affordable Housing Committee, and actively work to bring new affordable housing developments to the city," noted a staff report.
Both positions were referred to budget deliberations by council last year and approved during this week's operating budget deliberations at city hall.
While ultimately supportive of both positions, some members of council questioned whether the funding used for the housing co-ordinator position might be better suited of help fund affordable housing projects.
“I kind of questioned this one, and the reason being I see their main role is attracting affordable housing to Orillia, yet that doesn't seem to be a problem for us for the last couple of years,” Coun. David Campbell said at Tuesday’s meeting.
“We've seen many projects come to us, (but) the problem seems to be providing financial support to make the project viable so, to me, I just wonder if we should consider that $206,000 over two years going into the affordable housing reserve to financially support those projects," he added.
Other members of council fully supported the position for its potential to update the city’s affordable housing policies and to help attract additional projects.
Coun. Ralph Cipolla asked city staff how much help the position would provide for them.
Ian Sugden, Orillia's general manager of development services and engineering, said city staff are far busier than in years past due to higher levels of development, saying the position would provide needed support.
“There's a whole bunch of long-range planning efforts underway, so we don't have the capacity to put the kind of focus on (that) with the existing staff complement,” he said. “This would assist … to have more acute focus on affordable housing; this would give that additional resource to do that.”
Council also considered hiring an equity, diversity, and inclusion co-ordinator during this week's budget sessions, but ultimately voted against the position.
As the equity, diversity, and inclusion roundtable was only recently assembled, and is still in the process of assembling its board, some members of council questioned whether it was the appropriate time to create the position.
“It's premature, in my opinion,” said Coun. Tim Lauer. “I think we've got a committee put together that hasn't gotten that far down the road, and I think there are all kinds of partnerships out there (to support the position) that could happen and so (I’m) not sure which one fits the bill.”
Although council voted against it, they did so in anticipation of the roundtable approaching council at a later date with a request for the position.
All decisions made during budget deliberations are subject to ratification at a special meeting later this month.
