Hamilton’s Public Works Department 2020 budget presentation highlights

HAMILTON, ON – Earlier today, Hamilton City Council’s General Issues Committee considered the 2020 budget from the Public Works department. General Manager, Dan McKinnon, outlined how Public Works provides services that bring Hamilton to life – including corporate facility management, infrastructure rehabilitation, right-of-way road operations, parks and green space maintenance, transit, and waste management, which are essential to the lives of residents and visitors to the city. The presentation also included a summary of 2019 accomplishments, measures of success, and a look ahead at major initiatives in 2020. 

The preliminary 2020 operating budget request showed an increase of 5.4 per cent or $13 million, which includes an increase of $7 million for Transit.

Highlights of major initiatives in Public Works in 2020, pending Council approval, will include:

• Year five of the 10 Year Local Transit Strategy
• Major right-of-way rehabilitation projects on Rymal Road, Regional Road 56 and neighbourhood resurfacing projects in Westdale, Homeside and Kentley
• Major construction projects at the Beverley Community Centre, Lister Annex Offices, First Ontario Centre (vertical transportation), and roof replacements at Macassa Lodge and Wentworth Lodge
• Vision Zero initiatives including the Neighbourhood Speed Reduction Program and Automated Speed Enforcement
• Year eight of the Emerald Ash Borer program
• Review of the City’s Solid Waste Management Master Plan
• Transitioning operating contracts for waste management facilities including transfer stations, community recycling centres and the landfill.

Quick facts about Public Works in 2019:

• Completed $74 million in road right-of-way projects – including major projects on the Red Hill Valley Parkway, Locke Street, Cannon Street, Arvin Avenue, Governor’s Road, Parkdale Ave, and more.
• Delivered $24 million in capital facility projects – including projects at Grightmire Arena, Norman Pinky Lewis Recreation Centre, the Locke Street Library, window replacements at the Hamilton Public Library, and more.
• Constructed 13.2 hectares of new parkland, and 24 park/trail construction projects including John Rebecca Park, Bookjans Park, Churchill Park Rain Gardens, Crown Point Parkette, Shaver Estates Trail and Tiffany Hills Park.
• Rehabilitated 11km of sewers and 5.5km of watermains. Paved 275 lane kilometers of roadway. Resurfaced 5km of cycle track lanes.
• Inspected 123km of mainline sewers, 7km of watermains, 123km of sewer laterals and 20,000 catch basins
• Achieved 40% residential waste diversion – a 4% increase since 2018
• Beautified 325 floral traffic islands, 70 roundabouts, 133 perennial medians, 94 civic buildings, 739 hanging baskets, and grew 220,000 plants

Council is expected to consider approval for the final operating budget in March.

Additional Resources

• Read more about the focus of the 2020 Budget