2024 is sure to become a defining year for the City of Thorold.
With both the City’s Strategic Plan and Official Plan up for review, Thorold is about to set its course for the next four years.
“We have selected a consultant for the new Strategic Plan,” says the City’s CAO Manoj Dilwaria, in an interview with ThoroldToday. “There will be consultation with the public and with various key stakeholders: our businesses, BIA, our committees of council, post-secondary education — We just want to make sure that we are moving in the right direction.”
Dilwaria is proud of what was achieved in the last four years.
“We were able to accomplish everything that was outlined in that strategic plan,” he says.
He points to major infrastructure projects such as the first phase of the reconstruction of Broderick Avenue, and the first phase of the reconstruction of St. David’s Road.
There was also the revitalization of the downtown, with the complete overhaul of Battle of Beaverdams Park, the new fire hall on McCleary Drive — which is nearing completion — as well as the city’s revitalized Operations Centre.
“We were able to accomplish all these things despite the fact that we had resource issues,” Dilwaria says.
It is no secret that City Hall is experiencing staffing issues, compounded by Thorold’s unprecedented 27% population growth.
A recent organizational review of City Hall outlined 24 immediate hires the City would need to make, if it wants to function without any issue.
“It was very evident to staff, and I'm assuming most Councillors, that we are understaffed,” says Dilwaria. “To what extent has very clearly been highlighted by a third party independently. We get more staff, we can provide better quality service that our community expects from us. Sometimes there is a delay, sometimes things do not get done. It's not because staff are not interested in doing it. It's because there is a resource issue.”
City Council is about to embark on the 2024 Budget Deliberations at the end of the month, and Dilwaria is aware that it will be impossible to include all hires.
“I can't put all 24 positions in the budget and then keep it reasonable,” he says. “So we try to make sure that we prioritize our jobs. We prioritize what positions should go in there. And I'm hoping that Council understands that it's a fairly balanced budget that we are proposing.”
Dilwaria prides himself on keeping the taxpayer in mind.
“If you look at our tax increases in Thorold and you average it out, we may be one of the lowest, if not the lowest in Niagara Region,” he says. “We have to be responsible fiscally for our tax rates. We have to balance the need with the resources that we have.”
With Thorold growing at such an exponential rate, new developments are popping up everywhere.
“We are punching way above our weight in terms of housing,” says Dilwaria. “So if you look at the number of housing that has been done in Thorold in the last five years, we would be one of the top ones in the Niagara region, even though we are, from a population standpoint, much smaller than a number of municipalities.”
Dilwaria says it’s the City’s role to guide along development so that it benefits the community.
“We want to make sure it is done in a sustainable manner,” he says. “If someone is assuming that the green fields are going to remain green, that's not the case. Developers have bought the land, but we can make sure that it develops in a sustainable manner.”
That’s why the City tries to work with developers.
“Fighting with them, we have seen, is not giving us any results,” says Dilwaria. “They go to the OLT and then the OLT usually favours in terms of developers.”
But the City’s not only experiencing a boom of residential development. Economically, there’s also been a lot of growth.
Take the Thorold Multimodal Hub, for instance.
“They have invested about $125 million in that facility in the last three years or so,” Dilwaria says. “The Thorold Multimodal Hub is of not only regional significance, but provincial significance. It is connected by rail, of course by the highway system, and also by the marine.”
Trying to keep up with Thorold's commercial and residential growth has at times put significant strain on the City’s planning department.
Over the last few years, there was an exodus of planners at City Hall, and MHBC Planning was contracted to keep up with the extensive work load.
“Since then we have been able to build a new team,” says Dilwaria. “Now we have a full team of qualified people with us. In terms of MHBC, the workload that we have been giving to them has gone down considerably. We have still one or two positions I think still need to be filled. Of course, then it will all be managed internally.”
So what can residents expect from the City in 2024?
“There are a number of community events which we're hoping to grow this year depending on council direction,” Dilwaria says.
Dilwaria highlights the success of the Thorold Community Market, as well as the past two editions of the Thorold Santa Claus Parade.
"I'm thankful that we have such a good team of staff and everybody is committed," he says. "Of course, our services will improve if we have more resources."
Now that a consultant is working on a new Strategic Plan, residents will be able to give their input through an online survey, which the City is set to launch soon.
But first, budget deliberations are set to take place at the end of the month.
“We do a lot of work as staff before we present the budget to council,” says Dilwaria. “We make sure that the numbers that we are providing to Council are low.”
Dilwaria emphasizes that the budget deliberations are a public process and residents will be able to have their input.
“Anyone can go through the whole budget document that has been submitted to Council and they can come and participate, they can provide their viewpoints,” he says. “Ultimately, when the budget is passed, we have a clear understanding of what we are we trying to do this year and staff will implement the wishes of Council moving forward from that point.”
One thing's for certain: Thorold City Hall will continue to be there for its residents in 2024.
“Our aim is to provide good quality service to our community that they expect from us,” Dilwaria says. “So whatever we can do to provide that, that's why we are here.”
