A new Fire Master Plan for the City of Belleville was approved by city council on Monday.
The plan was passed in a recorded vote of 6-2 with Ward 2 councillors Paul Carr and Kathryn Brown being the two opposed to the motion.
There are 24 recommendations in the new Master Plan that range from hiring more firefighters and staff, including communications operators, to the replacement of the current Fire Station 2 to a new location.
Also included is changing the response boundaries from rural to urban with the new expanded urban area spanning the majority of the Cannifton rural tax area.
The process would begin in 2025.
As part of the process, a change to taxation would be required which would be phased in over a five-year period.
According to a report presented to council, the reason for the change is due to a shift in property assessment values totalling $333 million from the Cannifton rural tax base to the Cannifton urban tax base.
There would be no additional tax funding, rather, it would redistribute how area properties are taxed.
Breakdown of how the new taxation would be implemented over a five-year period including assumptions. (Screenshot from report to Belleville City Council)
Councillor Kathryn Brown had requested the report be tabled and brought to the Protection Services Committee due to concerns about recruitment and retention of firefighters as well as taxation with residents in Ward 2 seeing an increase.
In a recorded vote, Brown’s motion was ultimately rejected with only Brown and Councillor Paul Carr voting in favour of bringing the master plan to the Protection Services Committee.
Councillor Paul Carr outlined his concerns.
“Forget about Ward 2, across the city, taxes continue to go up, and we face outside pressures,” Carr told council.
“We’re all fighting this hard variable here in terms of keeping the money down. So why we as a city council who represent the taxpayer, not look at cost effective options versus pushing forward this plan that clearly articulated ever-increasing budgets?”
Carr ultimately voted against the motion.
“After hearing from my constituents, whether by email, social media or the town halls that we have had, I cannot support the motion today. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t take a more deliberate approach to this plan,” Carr said.
On the other side, Councillor Tyler Allsopp expressed his support for the motion saying the recommendations look into addressing safety and is not trying to pit Ward 2 against Ward 1.
“I think it’s an issue of fairness, but more importantly, it’s an issue of safety. Recorded vote or not, I’m always going to stand on the side of community safety, and so if anyone likes, they can write that down. Thank you very much. I look forward to supporting this,” Allsopp told council.
Councillor Sean Kelly also expressed his support saying that the plan was 14 years in the making, echoing that public safety should be the top priority.
“I don’t look at the City of Belleville as two wards, one and two. (It’s) what’s in the best interest for the 58,000 people and who continue to come to our community to live and reside and enjoy many of the benefits that we have,” Kelly said.
“So there’s no divide on my part with Ward 1 and Ward 2. It’s the right thing to do.”
