In a recorded vote, Belleville City Council approved amending the 2025 operating budget to increase funding for physician recruitment by $400,000.
The funding would come from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund, the same fund that takes in revenue from parking and speeding tickets in Belleville.
Mayor Neil Ellis introduced the motion during the new business section of council’s meeting on Monday.
Discussing the motion, Councillor Kelly Henderson said she would not support the motion, saying that a different funding source should be used.
“I’m new around here, and someone’s welcome to correct me, but the spirit of the funds that were to be collected by the Automated Speed Enforcement were to be used for traffic issues as identified by the Traffic Committee and adopted by council prior to my return here,” Henderson said.
“So I would like to take this, remove this, and actually send this back to staff for a different funding source.”
Councillor Paul Carr echoed those sentiments, saying the move to reallocate funding from the Automated Speed Enforcement cameras to the city’s physician recruitment program is “premature.”
“The ASE funds have been jostled all around, but we have never landed on a firm policy, and I think that’s where we need to be like anything else before we just start stealing from it because we’re in a bind,” Councillor Carr said to council.
Previously, money from the cameras has been used for The Bridge Integrated Care Hub and for the city’s share in Hastings County’s budget.
Councillor Garnet Thompson spoke in support of the motion for two reasons; that the funding would be for this one program and that the city needs doctors.
“On this occasion, I’m quite happy to use some of that money to get these doctors in our community,” Thompson said.
“In the future, we can look at other avenues, but I’m going to support the motion to use the money at this stage.”
Councillor Kathryn Brown also said she would support the motion, admitting, however, that it is contrary to what she stated on the transportation committee regarding automated speed enforcement.
“I’m going to support the motion as is on the by-law, despite the fact that it gives me heartburn that we’re using automated speed enforcement,” Councillor Brown said.
“Nonetheless, we have the money. We have the money in the bank. So I think we make this exception, and that we do agree that we go forward and look at what other options we have beyond 2025 in order to maintain this very valuable program.”
In a recorded vote, council approved the motion by a tally of 6-2.
Those voting in favour included councillors Margaret Seu, Garnet Thompson, Kathryn Brown, Sean Kelly, Barbara Enright-Miller, and Mayor Neil Ellis.
Voting against were councillors Paul Carr and Kelly Henderson.
