Item - 2024.RM15.6

February 14, 2024 at 9:48 a.m. - Speaker Nunziata advised Council of the following:

Members, I will now review the Order Paper. Once the Order Paper has been approved by Council, any change will need a two‑thirds vote.

The City Clerk has posted today's Order Paper online, with agenda item RM15.7 – Review of the Order Paper.

Members, the Mayor has designated Item MPB15.1 on “2024 Operating and Capital Budget” as her First Key Matter and this will be our first item of business today. The Mayor has designated Item CC15.1 on “Budget Implementation Including Property Tax Rates, User Fees and Related Matters” as her Second Key Matter and our second item of business.

We are scheduled to meet until 6 p.m. tonight.  We will take a scheduled recess between 12:30 and 2:00 p.m. Council will reconvene tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. if necessary.

Members, for the benefit of everyone participating in the meeting, including the public, I want to re-iterate the advice we received from the City Clerk regarding Council’s consideration of the budget.

The Mayor has met her statutory duty to prepare a balanced budget for Council’s consideration.

Under changes to the City of Toronto Act made in 2022, City Council may pass amendments to the budget prepared by the Mayor, but Council will not vote to approve the budget or the budget-as-amended. 

Instead, the budget will be deemed adopted after certain conditions are met.

If no amendments are passed today, the budget will be deemed adopted after the adjournment of the meeting.

If amendments are passed by Council today, the Mayor has 10 days to decide whether to veto any amendments.  She may shorten that period if she chooses.

If the Mayor vetoes any amendments, Council will have 15 days to overturn a veto by a two-thirds vote.

The budget will be deemed adopted after all these conditions are met.

Let me also review the procedures as they relate to motions.

First, amendments to the Mayor’s proposed budget must preserve the balanced nature of the budget.  A motion that would result in an unbalanced budget is not in order and I will not accept it.  Members should work with the Clerk and the Chief Financial Officer to identify offsetting measures where required.

Second, any requests for reports, or requests for City Officials or other bodies to consider matters as part of future budget, or requests of other governments, should be moved on Item CC15.1 - Budget Implementation Including Property Tax Rates, User Fees and Related Matters, or should be brought by letter to the appropriate standing committee, or to Council by member motion.

That City Council adopt the February 14, 2024 Order Paper and all other Items not held on consent.