The Transportation Committee today approved new municipal consent and utility circulation fees, as well as updated road cut and temporary road closure permit fees, to ensure the City can continue to recover the costs of staff work.
Municipal consent and utility circulations help assist in mitigating impacts on existing infrastructure and facilitate opportunities to coordinate construction projects within the right-of-way. The City has not historically charged a fee for municipal consent, nor recovered the cost of conducting utility circulations except through historic annual payments by telecommunication carriers as part of their Municipal Access Agreements. Aside from the additional revenues to help with cost recovery of the work, the new fees will help:
- Improve service delivery for permit issuing
- Facilitate continued service delivery within targeted timelines
- Maintain service levels and provide capacity for the review and coordination of development works under the site plan control and plan of subdivision application processes
- Ensure more efficient administration of the City’s right-of-way
- Provide staff resources to coordinate work and mitigate mobility impacts citywide
- Improve responses to Service Requests and inquiries through better tracking of permits
The new and updated fees would come into effect on January 1, 2025. The fees will be reviewed annually and adjusted through the budget process.
The Committee also approved minor amendments to the Traffic and Parking By-law to enhance accessible parking opportunities. The amendments will allow and regulate signed, accessible, designated on-street parking for a pilot project in 2025 for Accessible Parking Permit holders. The amended by-law will also state the ratio of accessible off-street parking spaces required for obligated organizations to align with both the City’s accessibility design standards and the Province’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If approved by Council, Staff will develop a one-year pilot to evaluate whether designated on-street, accessible parking spaces improve services to people with disabilities and older adults.
Items considered at this meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, October 30.
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