Timmins council is back in action for its first meeting of 2022.
The agenda includes approving the 2022 budget, an expansion at the Timmins airport, and more.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting is being held virtually.
Here are some highlights of the agenda:
- The 2022 budget is up for approval. At the last budget meeting, the proposed 2022 net expenditure increase was up 1.93 per cent over 2021. The city has. not reported how that will impact tax bills. The increase does not include the budgets of agencies, boards and commissions that will also potentially impact the tax levy, although there is a presentation at the meeting on those.
- The Timmins Stratospheric Balloon Base is expanding and staff's recommending awarding a $125,000 contract for the building design and project administration to L360 Architecture. The city leases a facility at the airport to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for the stratospheric balloon base that's located in a secured area near the MNR base. The launch campaigns are a partnership between the CSA and French government space agency. The expansion would give scientists more room to work on payloads, especially early in the launches when there are weather delays or multiple projects ongoing. The design and administration is the first phase of the expansion, with the second phase being the RFP for the new building. While the cost is not in this year's budget, the staff report says it would be recovered through a new land lease. Read the full report here. Details on a 2019 stratospheric balloon launch are available here.
- The new lease for the restaurant at the Timmins Victor M. Power Airport is taking into account the uncertainty of COVID-19. A new five-year lease is up for approval, with the base lease in year one (2022) being $18,122.64 plus applicable taxes. The proposed annual increases are 2.5 percent, 3 per cent, 3.5 per cent and 6 per cent, with an option for renewal at the end of the five years. Read the full lease agreement here.
- Work on the McIntyre headframe will cost more than anticipated. The ask at tonight's meeting is for an extra $345,048 for the restoration and rejuvenation project. The staff report notes that deficiencies have been found that weren't in the original scope of work. "The contractor has the ability and is available to complete the works in accordance with their revised cost estimates as detailed in the report," staff wrote. Last year, the city approved a $520,000 contract to Cy Rheault Construction for the project, which had a projected total cost of $1.6 million and is receiving funding from the provincial and federal governments through the Investing in Canada plan.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and can be watched online here.
The full agenda is available here.
