On the agenda: Infrastructure renewal and operating impacts

This week, councillors will discuss priorities for infrastructure renewal as well as how capital projects impact future operating costs.

There is a utility committee meeting on June 22, a public hearing on June 23, and an infrastructure committee meeting on June 24.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• Administration has listed sections of roads and bridges that it would like to prioritize for some level of renewal in the 2027-2030 budget cycle. Arterial roads can receive a paving treatment, a paving treatment with concrete or base repairs, or, for the roads in the worst condition, a full reconstruction. Administration said it recommends focusing on paving treatment for the upcoming cycle. This may seem counterintuitive, given the inclination to fix the worst roads first, a report to infrastructure committee acknowledges, but it says this is the best way to manage the network "within a fiscally constrained environment." Council will debate funding for renewal projects during the 2027-2030 budget deliberations in the fall.
• Infrastructure committee will be asked to approve the creation of a dedicated renewal fund reserve, which aims to address a widening funding gap for the renewal of city-owned infrastructure. The reserve will be funded through a dedicated tax levy of up to 1% annually for the next 20 years, which would fund about 43% of the total ideal renewal needed in 2048. To narrow the gap further, council could choose to increase the renewal tax levy by 0.5%, which would fund about 60% of the total ideal renewal needed in 2048. If committee approves the fund, council will vote on it at a future meeting.
• Administration will include a capital project's operating impacts — the day-to-day funds required to operate an asset once construction is finished — in the 2027-2030 budget deliberations, says a report that will be presented to infrastructure committee. Improving projections for the operating impacts of capital (OIC) is part of the total cost of ownership (TCO) project — in other words, the cost of building, operating, maintaining, and renewing an asset through the end of its service life, as opposed to just building it. "The enhanced integration of TCO, including OICs, into budgeting processes provides council with a more robust understanding in order to evaluate long-term operating costs before approving capital infrastructure investments," the report said.

Here are some more key items:

• The City of Edmonton's real estate and land development branch has proposed rezoning two parcels of land in Rossdale to new special zones under the area redevelopment plan. The area is set to be developed as part of the River Crossing Community Redevelopment Project. The parcels include the gravel lots that have typically been used for parking during Edmonton Riverhawks games, but also extend north to surround the ArtsHub Ortona building. City council will debate the rezoning at a public hearing on June 23.
• Administration may increase fines in order to reduce illegal dumping at apartments and condos, according to a report that will be presented to utility committee. The report said the current $250 fine does not serve as an effective deterrent. Other potential changes to address illegal dumping include enhancing eco-station hours and introducing a large-item collection program, which administration plans to pilot in 2027.
• Council is set to debate changes to the zoning bylaw to reduce the parking requirement for on-site pick-up and drop-off at child-care services. An analysis of the first year of the updated zoning bylaw found that, on average, fewer than half of on-site drop-off and pick-up spaces were used during peak periods. The analysis also found that 17% of trips to and from child-care facilities were made by walking or cycling. Administration proposes reducing the on-site parking requirement — which is currently two spaces for the first 10 children and one space for every additional 10 children — to one space for every 10 children. It also recommends allowing a 50% reduction to the on-site parking requirement if unrestricted street parking is available.
• The city received 13 submissions to a call that asked private and public partners if there was interest in developing city infrastructure. Administration put out a request for expressions of interest for the Woodcroft Library, Cumberland and Big Lake Fire Stations, Windermere North Transit Centre, and, more generally, arenas. A report that will be presented to infrastructure committee said most submissions proposed building a facility and turning it over to the city, or financing an asset with a payment plan to the city. The report said administration will develop a competitive procurement process to find a partner to develop a fire station with funding from the 2027-2030 capital budget.

And here are updates on some of the items we told you about last week:

• Council approved several of administration's recommended adjustments to the final year of the 2023-2026 capital budget. Councillors voted to expand the capacity of the southeast transit garage. The facility's capacity was originally designed for 430 buses, and in April administration told council it needed to be scaled down to between 255 and 290 to stay within budget. Council asked for a report with options to build different capacity levels, and voted 7-6 to build for 330 to 380 buses. Councillors Reed Clarke, Mike Elliott, Thu Parmar, Karen Principe, Erin Rutherford, and Jo-Anne Wright were opposed.
• Council voted 8-5 to bring an unfunded service package to the 2027-2030 budget deliberations for community league life safety infrastructure needs. Councillors Reed Clarke, Mike Elliott, Michael Janz, Karen Principe, and Erin Rutherford were opposed. Some councillors said they were concerned about investing in buildings that are so old they may require demolition in a few years.
• Council approved Beyond Belonging: The 2SLGBTQIA+ Safe Spaces Action Plan and asked administration to prepare an unfunded service package for the 2027-2030 budget deliberations to continue the $750,000 Beyond Belonging grant.
• Council approved rezoning applications in Ritchie and Avonmore.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

For more on civic affairs, including funding for day shelter spaces, the police budget, the southeast transit garage, and a historic property facing demolition, listen to Episode 361 of Speaking Municipally.