rob ford for mayor financial plan backgrounder
TRANSCRIPT
Rob Ford’s Platform – Financial Impact
It’s not complicated. Toronto must stop spending more than it takes in. Toronto must stop taxing people and businesses more than they can afford if we want to grow our economy. Toronto must start living within its means. Toronto must eliminate waste so it can focus city spending on the priorities of its people – and not on its politicians’ pet projects and perks. Financial Impact Statement The attached Financial Impact Statement (Annex A) lists Rob Ford’s platform initiatives and provides the financial impact of each on the City of Toronto’s budgets. 2011. The financial impact of Rob Ford’s platform is a net reduction in city spending of $525.6 million in 2011. The city’s current estimate of financial “opening pressure” for 2011 is $503 million. Rob Ford’s plan, therefore, creates enough fiscal space to overcome this opening pressure and close the year with a $22.6 million surplus. Four-Year Surplus to improve services, rebuild reserves, pay down debt Over the four-‐year period from 2011 to 2014, Rob Ford’s plan will produce a net surplus of about $1.7 Billion. This surplus will be allocated in the taxpayers’ best interest as follows:
• Improvements to Priority Services. One quarter of the money saved from reducing waste at City Hall will be allocated to improvements in services that impact the quality of life of Toronto residents every day. Specific program allocations will be made in consultation with City Council and after full community consultation. For example, areas that may be funded with these priority funds could include: childcare services, services for seniors, making Toronto more accessible for people with disabilities, affordable housing, improvements to city-‐owned housing stock, etc.
• Rebuilding Reserves. One quarter of the money saved from reducing waste at City
Hall will be allocated to rebuilding our financial reserves to provide Toronto with the necessary financial “cushion” to deal with emergencies and unexpected expenses such as tornadoes, disasters, fires, etc.
• Debt Repayment. Half of the money saved from reducing waste at City Hall will be
allocated to paying down the city’s debt. This will reduce our annual debt servicing expense and make additional money available to improve services for taxpayers or to hold the line on future tax increases. Table 1: Use of Operating Surplus Allocation Estimated Amount (2011-‐2014) 1. Priority Service Improvements $416 million 2. Rebuilding Reserves for Emergencies $416 million 3. Paying Down Debt $833 million
Total: $1.67 Billion
Changes to Capital Budget The capital budget is funded primarily by issuing debt and with funds contributed from the current year Operating Budget. i The city’s planned contribution to the capital budget from operations in 2011 is $182 million. We will reduce this transfer from the operating budget to the capital budget by $125 million in 2011 and 2012. To offset this reduction in funding to the capital budget, and to enable the city to pay down some of its debt earlier, we will sell surplus assets (primarily land). Over four years, we will sell up to $1 billion in surplus assets, with a target of at least $125 million in 2011 and 2012. This will make up to $750 million available, over the four-‐year period, for additional debt retirement. The city owns over 5,000 properties valued at over $12 billion. Many of these properties are surplus – or even vacant lots.
Table 2: Changes to Capital Budget Change Impact (2011-‐2014) Reduction in Current Funding ($250 million) Sale of surplus assets $1 Billion
Total: $750 million Debt Repayment We will use half the surplus funds from the operating budget (about $833 million) and the net proceeds of sales of surplus capital assets (about $750 million) to pay down debt. This will reduce the city’s debt by about $1.58 billion over four years. By paying down debt, we will reduce the annual servicing cost ($430.3 Million in principle & interest payments in 2010) – freeing up money to be used on service improvements for residents and businesses.
Table 3: Funds available for Debt Repayment Source of Funds Estimated Amount (2011-‐2014) From Operating Surplus $833 million From sale of surplus assets (net) $750 million
Total: $1.58 Billion
Line by Line Notes Please refer to the Financial Impact Statement spreadsheet (Annex A). Taxpayer Protection Plan 1(a). Reduction in Councillors’ Expense Accounts. As announced in TPP. Annual savings of $899,580. 1(b). Reduction in Councillors’ Staffing Budgets. As announced in TPP. Annual savings of $1,433,685. 1(c). Reduction in Mayor’s Office Budget. As announced in TPP. Annual savings of $512,143. 2. Publish City Spending Online. As announced in TPP. New spending up to $500,000 per year. 3. Open, Transparent & Competitive Tendering. As announced in TPP. Toronto Board of Trade estimates savings of approximately 10 per cent on annual purchases of over $1 billion. We are estimating 10 per cent savings, with only 2/3 of savings available in the first year while improved processes are put in place. 2011 savings of $67 million, thereafter $100 million. 4. Protect Whistleblowers. As announced in TPP. No net impact. 5. Eliminate Fair Wage Policy. As announced in TPP. We will eliminate the city’s Fair Wage Policy that stifles competition in the marketplace. We will also open up TTC purchasing to non-‐union vendors and call on the provincial government to rescind legislation that imposes unfair limits on the city’s ability to purchase services, especially construction services, from non-‐union vendors. Our aim is to create an open and fair market which will benefit the taxpayer. We estimate these initiatives will generate at least eight per cent savings on total purchases. Annual savings of $80 million. 6. Accountable Voting. As announced in TPP. No net impact. 7. Reducing Secret Meetings. As announced in TPP. No net impact. 8. Setting Service Standards. As announced in TPP. No net impact. 9. Measuring & Rewarding Performance. As announced in TPP. New spending up to $750,000 per year. 10. Real Community Consultation. As announced in TPP. New spending up to $1 million per year.
11. Stronger Community Councils. As announced in TPP. No net impact. 12. Giving Citizens a Voice at Council. As announced in TPP. No net impact. Reducing Size & Cost of Government Plan (RCGP) 13. Reduce Size of Council. As announced in RCGP. No net impact in 2011-‐2014 period. 14. Reduce Size of Government. As announced in RCGP. Cumulative annual savings as shown from reducing staffing levels over four years by hiring back only 3% of the 6% of staff that retire annually. 15. Reduce Cost of Government. As announced in RCGP. Cumulative annual savings as shown from scheduled efficiency targets. 16. Saving Our City. As announced in RCGP. Board of Trade estimates savings of $17 million per year. We assume cost of program and rewards for employees will not exceed 10 per cent of savings. Therefore, annual savings of $15.3 million. Livable City Plan (LCP) 17. Eliminate Vehicle Registration Tax. Best available numbers for revenue generated by this tax come from City of Toronto Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2009 ($51,717,000). Assume loss of $52 million annual revenue beginning Jan. 1, 2011. 18. Eliminate Municipal Land Transfer Tax. Best available numbers for revenue generated by this tax come from City of Toronto Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2009 ($183,892,000). We expect it will take up to 12 months to effect this change. Assume loss of $184 million annual revenue beginning Jan. 1, 2012. 19. Add 100 Police. As announced previously, we will add 100 new frontline police officers to the Toronto Police Service, to enable an increase of up to 30 School Resource Officers and 70 officers available for TAVIS (Toronto Anti-‐Violence Intervention Strategy). We estimate the cost for these officers, their training and equipment to be about $15 million. Assume only half these officers are able to be recruited, trained and in service in 2011. Assume new spending of $7.5 million in 2011, thereafter $15 million per year. 20. Reliable and Affordable Garbage. As announced previously, we will seek to contract out garbage collection and recycling services. C.D. Howe Institute estimates savings of up to $49 million per year through outsourcing these services. The current collective agreement expires at the end of 2011. Assume contracting out begins Jan. 1, 2012 for an annual savings of at least $20 million. Assume an allowance of up to $5 million for “transition” costs in the first year.
21. Redirect “Capital from Current” funding. Each year, the city transfers money from its operating budget to fund its capital budget. The amount allocated in 2011 for this transfer is $182 million. In 2012, this amount is projected at $200 million. We will reduce this amount by $125 million in 2011 and 2012 – leaving the money in the operating budget. Transportation Plan 22. The Transportation Plan is fully funded as follows: $3.7 Billion from current and future provincial commitments to Transit City. $1 Billion private financing related to subway corridor development. $55 million (over four years) from the existing capital allocation for the Toronto Bike Plan. No net impact. Pro forma issues 23. The city starts each year with an estimate of its “opening pressures.” The city’s current estimate of “opening pressure” for 2011 is $503 million. ii Our estimate for “opening pressure” in future years is based on an expectation that over-‐spending will be reduced and future pressures will be largely limited to inflationary, cost of living and similar increases. Endnotes i City of Toronto: Budget Committee Recommended 2010 – 2019 Capital Budget and Plan (p.2) ii City of Toronto: 2010 Budget Committee Recommended Operating Budget, Table 9 (p.29)