Dilikens will not veto Windsor council’s decision on downtown revamp

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says he will respect council’s decision on new plans to revive downtown — including his proposal to pay for it by reopening the city’s budget.

In an interview on Friday, Dilkens told the Star he will not veto any council-approved amendments to a mayoral decision on the matter released earlier this week, even though he has the power to do so under Ontario’s ‘strong mayor’ legislation.

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The mayoral decision from Dilkens proposes increasing Windsor’s operating budget by roughly $3.2 million, which will require a further 0.7 per cent property tax hike.

Council will decide on May 13 whether to endorse ‘Strengthen the Core,” the multi-part downtown revitalization plan created by hired consultant StrategyCorp. Council will also decide whether to expand hours of service at the Housing and Homelessness Help Hub and expand the Windsor Police Service presence in the core, among other things.

Dilkens said it’s his “statutory obligation” under changes to the Municipal Act — Bill 3, the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022 — to bring forward any mid-year budget amendments through a mayoral decision. The Municipal Act now gives ‘strong’ mayors the responsibility to table municipal budgets and bring forward any amendments.

“If this matter had been ready in time for budget, which was produced in December of last year, and in time for debate in January of 2024, then we wouldn’t have had to have a mid-term budget amendment,” Dilkens said.

“I wasn’t going to put money in (the budget) for a plan that wasn’t yet prepared. I needed it to be ready before I even considered adding it to the budget.

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“Now, because it (the downtown revitalization plan) is ready, I’m required to follow this process.”

If council decides not to implement the ‘Strengthen the Core’ plan, Dilkens said, “I want to know what their solution is to fix the problem that we collectively face.”

Dilkens on Tuesday presented the ‘Strengthen the Core’ plan during a media event outside city hall that drew more than 100 officials and downtown stakeholders. If approved by council, the plan will see 12 police officers dedicated to the core, a bylaw officer dedicated to enforcing property standards in Ward 3, collaborative efforts to establish a mental health and addiction crisis centre, more incentives to update and develop downtown properties, and more.

Under provincial legislation, city council can approve amendments to mayoral decisions from heads of council with ‘strong’ mayor powers. The mayor can veto council amendments — something Dilkens insists he will not do on the downtown issue — and council can override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds majority vote. In Windsor’s case, that would require eight of the 11 council members to agree (the mayor also has a vote).

tcampbell@postmedia.com

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