It's another busy week for town council as projected policing costs for 2025, a plan to increase booth-rental rates at big events like Carrot Fest, and more options for home businesses top the list of agenda items when it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday evening in the Zima Room at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library.
Police asking for boost in funding
South Simcoe Police Service Chief John Van Dyke and board chair Chris Gariepy are set to present the service’s 2025 budget and funding request to council.
That includes a capital budget of about $1.85 million, an increase of about $400,000 (or roughly 27.59 per cent) over 2024, plus an operating budget of about $28.19 million, an increase of about $2.9 million (or about 11.47 per cent) over 2024.
However, after $197,000 in court security and transportation funding, the operating budget is estimated to be $27.99 million, the same amount approved by the board during its Nov. 27 meeting.
Those come to a total of about $29.85 million, an increase of about $3.23 million (or roughly 12.13 per cent) over 2024 after similar adjustment for $124,485 in court security and transportation funding for that year.
Much like last year, more than 92 per cent of the 2025 operating budget is dedicated to salaries and benefits for staff, of which the service is planning to add nine new officers (seven constables, one sergeant and one staff sergeant) along with three civilian staff (one special constable, one crown brief/court clerk and one employee in human resources).
According to a copy of the presentation included in the agenda, the service estimates Bradford and Innisfil had a combined population of about 96,992 in 2023 with a cost per capita of about $276, less than other local services policing similar-sized municipalities including: Sault Ste. Marie ($473), Sarnia ($426), Peterborough ($364), and Chatham-Kent ($351).
Per 100,000 people, South Simcoe reports having 115 officers, compared to Sault Ste. Marie (192), Chatham-Kent (172), Sarnia (166), and Peterborough (152).
The annually updated cost-sharing agreement between the two municipalities remains largely the same as last year with a split for operational costs of about 47/53 per cent for Bradford and Innisfil respectively, plus a 50/50 split for capital costs.
Based on updated figures, for 2025, that would work out to about $15.8 million for Innisfil and about $14 million for Bradford.
Fee increase for Carrot Fest and other events
A report from N’Diia Maharaj, recreation supervisor, is recommending the town change the application process and rates for big events like Carrot Fest to prioritize local businesses and bring in more revenue.
Rather than the current practice of excepting applications for vendors in chronological order, a new process is proposed giving each of three business types one week in which they have priority:
- Store-front businesses — Jan. 20 to 27
- Local businesses/vendors — Jan. 28 to Feb. 4
- Non-local businesses/vendors — Feb. 5 to 12
Following those dates, applications would still be accepted in chronological order until June 1, and to maintain diversity, the events team would continue to limit the amount of same business types to three or four, according to the report.
In response to council discussions on the town’s 2025 operating budget, Maharaj is also recommending increasing the rental rates for booths at Carrot Fest.
According to the report, staff found many towns charge about $225 per day for a three-metre-by-three-metre booth at their major events, while in 2024 Bradford only charged between $30 and $85 depending on the day and whether or not the vendor was local.
As a result, Maharaj recommends increasing the amount incrementally over five years, starting at $50 to $125 in 2025 and growing to $150 to $225 by 2029.
Similarly, Maharaj recommends increasing rates for food vendors at other town events including Music in the Park/Outdoor Movies, Pumpkin Fest and Canada Day celebrations.
In 2024, the town charged $10, $20 and $30 per day, respectively, for vendors to rent a booth at those events.
For 2025, those fees are proposed to start at $10, $25 and $75, growing to $30, $125 and $150 by 2029.
As the town’s Celebration Square beside the library is expected to be complete next year with a maximum capacity of about 2,000 people, Maharaj also recommended rental rates for that space of either $750 or $1,250 for community/non-profit groups using either eight hours or 12 hours, and $1,500 or $2,250 for private/commercial groups.
Expanding options for home business
After eight years of consideration, a report from planner Priscilla Lan is proposing council approve the final changes to the town’s zoning bylaw for businesses run out of homes (home occupations).
Those changes are set to expand permissions for home-based businesses, such as swim schools and music lessons, while also balancing the concerns of other residents such as additional noise and traffic.
Some examples include:
- Removing the limit of one home occupation per dwelling
- Permitting home occupations in all types of dwellings, but requiring they be in the principal residence of those conducting business
- Permitting more home occupations (teaching, fitness instructions, outdoor swimming lessons, catering, indirect sales, and medical practitioners) while not permitting others (taxi service depot greater than one vehicle, restaurants, and retail stores)
- Permitting outdoor storage of vehicles, but preventing them from occupying spaces needed for other requirements, and identifying the maximum number of off-street spaces that can be used
- Removing the daily limit on the number of visitors, but adding limits for how many can visit at once
- Introducing measures to prevent home occupations from becoming offensive, obnoxious, or creating a public nuisance (such as banning outdoor exercise and dance sessions)
- Requiring home occupations to comply with all applicable local, provincial, and/or federal agencies regulation, legislation, policies, and approvals
This comes as the latest step since the process began in 2016, when the town received requests from residents, according to the report. Following staff reports and approvals from council in spring 2017 and spring 2018, the town held a public meet in fall 2018, and continued accepting feedback until August this year.
In the report, Lan acknowledges “we live in an increasingly digital world,” and notes the shift towards home-based businesses and remote work in general was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
