At the budget meetings on January 25 and 26, staff presented to Council the details of the budget that they had come up with. The tax levy required for this budget would be 5.86% – this is after a growth amount of 1.5% due to an increased assessment. The total tax bill is also impacted by an increase of the County portion (6.0%) although the School board increase will be zero. You need to read the full presentation available in Resources below to see where the money will go but it was not only Councillors who were learning from the process, there were a good number of things that others can learn – many not really budget related. This report also reports on those other things.
First, the budget presentation format is different this year – in a comment at the open forum, citizen Bryan Lambert said that it was an improvement. The new format standard for all presenters ensures that they all highlight cost savings and staff hiring. So when presenting the budget, directors were focused on the number of people which is a key cost driver. However, sources of funding (tax, grants, reserves, debentures, Holdco etc) were rarely stated and statements of the balances of reserve accounts were not provided. It’s possible they may be included in full budget documentation scheduled to be made public January 27.
Most of the questions by Councillors asked about cost savings although Councillor Mutton was concerned with some proposed measures which reduced services (e.g. tree planting).
Town Employees
As of 1 January 2023, the Town has 262 employees (excluding Police) which include:
- 136 Permanent Full-Time
- 57 Permanent Part-Time
- Crossing Guards
- Volunteer Firefighters
- Community Services
- Other
- 9 Casual/Temporary/Seasonal
- 53 Summer Students (anticipated)
- 7 Council Members
Notable Items in the Draft Budget
- The draft tax levy increase requested is 5.86%. Recent staff increases contribute 1.1% and 5 new positions in 2023 add 0.6%.
- The draft Capital budget is $9.66M but does not include work to fix the harbour. The latest estimate for that is $22.9M. It has now been decided that funding for harbour rehabilitation must come at least partly from the Provincial and Federal Governments with the Town (hopefully) paying only 33% of the cost. The risk is that the breakwater deteriorates with time.
- Not counting the harbour, there are 44 capital projects which have a levy impact of $304K
- Several positions scheduled to be filled late 2022 or early 2023 have been pushed out to mid or late 2023.
- The operating budget for Public Works is significantly lower (only 0.1% increase) because of the implementation of stormwater fees.
- The bi-annual sidewalk construction program will be deferred for another year
- Council have been asked to choose one of two options for the West Beach boardwalk: Wood construction at 4 metres wide for $1M or Concrete at 3 metres wide at $175K.
- A study of a possible Parking garage on Covert Street will be done this year since the two large lots that are currently rented are “scheduled for development in the near future”. Cost is $75K.
- A study of the feasibility of electric busses will be done – $120K. This is required before applying for funding for such busses.
- Director Brian Geerts proposed some major cost savings: No lifeguards, close Centennial Pool, discontinue food at Legion Fields, discontinue tree planting and charge a user fee for tree requests – e.g. replacing boulevard trees. See page 135 of Divisional Presentation. It’s likely that not all of these will be approved.
- The Albert Street washrooms will have upgrades to improve security. See page 139 of Divisional Presentation.
Suggestions not included in the draft budget
- Why not include advertising on AGN web site? (Mayor Cleveland)
- We should leverage the AGN to get tourists – not just rely on the beach (Mayor Cleveland)
- The AGN could perhaps offer an appraising service (Councillor Barber)
- Could the Library save money by using non-union staff or volunteers? (Councillor Bureau).
- Mayor Cleveland said on several occasions that the position of manager of the Office of the CAO should be filled so that more admin help would be available and he could spend time lobbying at Queens Park and in Ottawa for grants.
Things we learned
- The Library says it’s worth $15M/year to the Town.
- Homeless people use the Library for their washrooms and as a warming and cooling centre. They also access the food in the refrigerator there.
- When the County moves its archive material to their new facility currently being built as an add-on to the new Golden Plough, the Town will continue with an archive at the Library.
- The AGN has a goal of 5000 visitors per year
- Mayor Cleveland thinks that all Councillors are underpaid – their pay is significantly less than average.
- Staff plan to improve the Town’s web site – it’s currently hard to navigate and many links are dead. Mayor Cleveland agrees.
- Treasurer Ian Davey plans to email tax bills where possible – perhaps starting this year. There would be a significant saving in postage.
- There is not yet a final agreement to lease the Memorial Arena as a Firefighters museum. Both sides are still working on it.
- The CCC is currently approx. 50% funded by taxes and both Councillor Darling and Mayor Cleveland spoke in favour of getting more major events there.
- There will be three food trucks at the beach this year
- The Sandcastle Festival will return
- Once again, in 2023, Planning is expecting to 1) get the Tannery District secondary plan to Council for approval and 2) complete the comprehensive Zoning Bylaw update. They also expect to start a review of the Official Plan.
The most active council contributors to the discussion were Mayor Lucas Cleveland and Councillor Miriam Mutton. Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty and Councillor Aaron Burchat did not say much. But as Mayor Cleveland said at the beginning, no decisions were made – the two days were information sessions.
The next step on the budget is to release the draft budget – see resources below to download (these documents were available to councillors during the presentation but not to the public until 27 Jan). Taxpayer input will then be sought via “Engage Cobourg” [Update: now available here] followed by a detailed Budget review by council on February 7 – and maybe Feb 9. Final approval will be 27 February.
Resources
- Operating and Capital Divisional Presentations
- Art Gallery Presentation
- Library Presentation
- Library Budget
- Municipal Taxes in Cobourg – Including an explanation of how taxes are calculated
- Police Budget – 14 Jan 2023 – Cobourg News Blog article
Detailed Budget Estimates
- 2023 Operating Budget Estimates
- 2023 Capital Budget Estimates – includes Capital to fix harbour
- 2023 Environmental (Sewer) Operating Estimates – it’s not known why this is reported separately
- 2023 Environmental (Sewer) Capital Estimates – it’s not known why this is reported separately
Print Article:
Always good to discuss areas of the budget that are costly to run with little use and other areas that could use stream lining. Lucas Cleveland had stated on running, I believe that he had prior experience providing services to a company business process.
In looking at things overall in the Province and country for that matter on issues of housing, energy fuels adding to costs, social service and incarcertaion needs, taxation on all levels perhaps it is time to consider preparing for the Hand Writing on the Wall. A change of living standard in Canada. For home owners adding an income suite, for 2 working age partners a return to the workforce for one. I have been happy to reside in Cobourg and am pleased especially the police force is being built up. I can think of many centres that do not offer this quality of life. The crime incidents in the media indicate ordinary citizens have been the target. Sure don’t want that here.
Lately all I have seen is Now Hiring signs for many current companies. If we want to expand our industrial base perhaps we should consider building more rental housing and encouraging development at both Town and County level to bring workers for many of the Blue Collar jobs that are now unfilled here before we worry about bringing more industry.
Close the Art Gallery…At $93 cost per visitor, it’s a waste of money. If there is a Volunteer group to run this in a volunteer/no cost location…Great! Times are tough, Cut out the frills! Back to basics!
Why do we need a sidewalk of wood or concrete on the West Beach…It’s a beach. ie: Natural sand…leave it alone. Walkway is “Nice to” not “Need to”.
I believe that it is time to seriously think about charging non cobourg residents a User Fee for using the Beach during June, July and August. This will bring in additional revenue too cover related costs, plus provide funding for lifeguards during these months. While it is not legally required that Lifeguards be provided for Ontario Beaches, it is a morally responsible expectation given the number of children and adults that use the Beach.
“I believe that it is time to seriously think about charging non cobourg residents a User Fee for using the Beach during June, July and August.“
If you seriously believe that it is time, then you should stand up and present your idea to Town Council. No one has ever made such a proposition to Town Council. Why?
How would you know if they are non Cobourg residents?
Seriously???? You want to have this discussion AGAIN…it recirculates every few months (haha).
Trees – Spearheaded by Russ Donaldson, one tree a year was purchased by the first Cobourg Probus club. I would guess 20 trees found their way into Victoria Park. A memorial tree was purchased by friends of Alberta MacMillan and placed near the Yacht Club. Perhaps other clubs, families, businesses could donate a tree.
This would work for parks but I don’t see it working on boulevards. I dont see many people donating money for street trees. Slowly but surely our streets would become treeless as loses aren’t replaced. Not exactly a “Feel Good” proposition.
Reality is 11 % + in Cost increases one way or the other , to Residents and Tax Payers of Cobourg
A few years ago the Question of Why are Cobourg’s Taxes so HIGH — This went un answered and still is today
There where 2 or 3 Articles and Questions put to the Town several times through our then News papers by John Gault and John Cairns investigating this problem
The Town was unable to answer and never did to my knowledge .
The articles indicated that Cobourg’s Taxes where nearly double that of Toronto , Mississauga, Markham etc etc . It was recommended that the Town and Hamilton Twsp merge resources as did others around us ,as a restructuring and cost saving measure .Cobourg ignored this advice . We need a Council that will not live beyond its means
and can reduce some of the Dead wood in their many departments .
One other Large COST item that Council forgot to mention was the Sewage Capacities in this Town especially Plant 1 in the west end are nearing if not already at Capacity Thus holding back many projects . According to Mr Hoekstra
manager of Engineering MOE is on site as we speak looking for expansion solutions .
One of the reasons that Toronto, Missaugua,etc are lower is their industry base, we need more industry in Cobourg
MG,
A lot of Toronto’s “industry” moved to Markham and Vaughan where the industrial/commercial rates are lower.
If you were a business owner would you locate your business in Cobourg?
Why?
I moved to Cobourg 30 some years ago, since then a lot of businesses have left or no longer exist, e.g. Kraft foods and more, all pickup a large share of the tax assessment.
Would I locate a business in COBOURG, yes, if it were viable.
GENERAL Foods, Electric, Wire and Cable , Pyramid homes,Scican,
etc etc anyone ever do a study , We have asked The Economic Development Office for a review over the past 10 + yrs as to why most of the new business that come to King st barley make it 2 yrs before they fail . They the Town will not reveal the facts .
How can anyone correct a problem without knowing what they are up against.
I agree 100% . We need to stop spending money to attract tourists to our free beach and actually bring some good industry to Town.
Sandpiper,
2022 mill rates:
Cobourg .0084929 5.44 more than Markham, 4.4 times more than Vaughan
Cobourg + NC .0134268 2.8 times more than Toronto
Toronto is upper tier, therefor must compare to Cobourg + NC
PH .00979738
Toronto .00478933
Markham .00156059
Vaughan .00192826
York Region .00335458
Northumberland County .0049339
The mill rates don’t tell the whole story. The MPAC valuations have to be considered as well.
The first MPAC myth is that the MPAC assessment is market. It is definitely not. For the 2023 property taxes, the 2016 MPAC valuation will be used. This is 7 years out of date.
Further, as I understand it, the MPAC valuation is supposed to closely approximate market. Often, it does not and is somewhat lower than market.
The average MPAC assessment for 2023 is $278,500 in Cobourg. That this is a reasonable approximation of market is absurd.
It’s one thing to compare mill rates and quite another to compare taxes between towns. While Cobourg’s mill rate (Town +NC) is 2.8 times Toronto’s rate, taxes in Cobourg are not 2.8 times higher.
For an “equivalent” property ( location, lot & house size)
the Toronto “house” could well have an MPAC valuation close to double that of the Cobourg unit. Therefore the actual taxes might only be 50% higher, not 280%
Great get the Grants confirmed First
Looks like we are going broke in Cobourg…Simple solution…Stop Spending..Make due with what you have.
Cornbread,
Cobourg has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.
As others have noted, this problem is not unique to Cobourg. Other towns have also skimped on infrastructure maintenance in the past in favour of lower taxes and frivolous “wants”.
I hear Peterborough Police force is about 13 less than a few years ago…Why? Seems a number of Cobourg taxpayer want the Luxury Service…Cobourg is a “Coach” section when it comes to employment for most of the residents…NOT “First Class” as many would want. Cobourg..be careful on the Electric Bus expenses…Randy is leading you down the garden path on this one. Fix what you got! Same with the Fire trucks.
Cornbread,
I Agree.
In the past Cobourg was a silver spoon town and had the best of everything.
Cobourg is no longer a silver spoon town by the mindset hasn’t changed to accept that we have to make do with what we have and to live within our means.
Some services may have to be scaled back. The better way is to find better ways of doing things (best practices) and be more cost efficient.
For example, the Town retires all sorts of equipment because it has reached the end of its expected life. In the private sector, that same piece of equipment is often in service for somewhat longer than its municipal counterpart.
Self insurance for liability and WSIB is done in the private sector and some governments & municipalities. Perhaps This would work here.
So Sandpiper, can you please list the current developments that have been delayed?
I don’t want to hear about the ones that were abandoned years ago.
Give us a current list.
As far as MOE being “on site” at the treatment plants, that’s not how things are done.
As I understand it, an environmental assessment is a requirement for expansion of waste water treatment plants. The results are submitted to the MOE.
As far as GTA taxes being lower than Cobourg, I was told that the GTA kept their property taxes low by using outdated property value assessments. Property owners have been warned that this will change in coming years and their property taxes will increase substantially.
Drew,
“… the GTA kept their property taxes low by using outdated property value assessments…” Does this mean the City of Toronto or allof the GTA municipalities?
Regardless of the “how”, the fact remains that Cobourg taxes are high compared to Toronto and the surrounding towns. This is not a recent thing. It has been the case for years.
Planning should be providing the list that you seek. Planning should bee reporting semi-anually (quarterly would be better) on the status of development projects.
The entire province is still assessed at the same valuation date of Jan 1, 2016. Hopefully the province will stop delaying the re-assessment and let MPAC set new assessments. The municipalities can shift tax burdens between tax classes through the mill rates.
Will a more recent assessment date actually make a difference? My perception is that most properties have increased in value more or less equally (percentage wise). If my assumption is correct then the only effect of reassessment will be a reduction in the mill rate to garner the same revenue from each of us.
Yep that pretty much is the case. Some municipalities might take the opportunity to shift burden between tax classes, ie commercial to industrial, but the impact of a new roll on residential should be minimal. The usual 2-3% increase to account for the increasing costs to run a town.
Shawn, the burden on residential built after 2016 will decrease somewhat and the shortfall will result in an increase for properties built before 2016.
Not sure I follow you. Why? MPAC adds new construction to the roll each year, not only when there is a new assessment cycle.
Exactly! The new construction was added to the roll at the selling price and is being taxed accordingly. Older properties are being taxed based on 2016 valuations. Consider what has happened to selling prices since 2016.
New construction is added but is valued at an estimate of market value at Jan 1 2016, not as of date of build. So the assessment of a house completed in 2021 would still have an effective valuation date as one built before the cycle started.
Interesting! Is that treatment documented somewhere?
It’ll be in the assessment act (link below) and probably somewhere in MPAC’s website. Their site has quite a bit of good information about the assessment cycle, phase-ins, and the ongoing delays in the reassessment.
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90a31
Shawn & Ken,
It seems counter intuitive but yes, as Shawn indicated, the MPAC assessment for a new build is not the current “sold” price. It is the estimated value as if the new build existed in 2016
https://www.mpac.ca/en/UnderstandingYourAssessment/NoticesandNotifications
“When there is a change in a property (such as new construction or major renovation), MPAC updates the assessment and mails a Notice. The 2023 assessment is what the property would have sold for on January 1, 2016 – in its current state and condition, including any major changes since then. Think of it as this property, selling on that date.”
Sandpiper,
There are numerous big $$$ capital projects coming soon:
Harbour & EP $25M
Water clarifier $12M
Water tower $10M
Storm water $1.6M
Campground $1M
FT (pumper) $1.1M
FT Ladder) $2M(??)
Most of these capital expenses will be debentures, so no initial tax hit. Some will be paid through user fees (storm water, water tower, clarifier) and therefore not impact the tax levy. these will impact your wallet however.
Each $1M of debt adds $101,263 (15yr, 6%) to the tax levy to pay for the annual debt service.
Dir Geerts indicated that grants are being actively sought to help pay for a significant portion of the $25M harbour-EP work
People really need to understand that we cannot keep increasing taxes to pay for new services. With 3 levels (4 including the county) of government all taking taxes from citizens there will soon be a time when the majority of tax payers will not be able to afford the basics. Federally and provincially we have been increasing the cost of caring for children with 2 years of all day kindergarten and daycare programs. More teachers/care givers are required for this. An aging population requires more care givers. Our hospitals, like SickKids, are not meeting health needs. Health care is important. The Salvation Army (a referral from the Help Centre) was able to help somebody in need with a dental issue. It would be great if our governments could take care of the necessities so we do not have to rely on this type of help (it is good that it is available). All ways of keeping taxes lower by reducing non essential services must be considered. Street sweeping is one thing I would like to see reduced in order to keep property taxes lower (I often pickup garbage on the streets when I am walking anyway). It good to learn no extra sidewalks will be built. It is disappointing the Deputy Mayor did not have more to say as the budget is one of her responsibilities. One counsellor who did not say much is sort of infamous for not saying much. It is sort of business as usual. We will keep doing it this way until we are forced to change or are we going to start to be more responsible?
Kevin,
The “budget” is not the DM’s responsibility by default. It is assigned. In this case, the mayor chose to take on the budget himself rather than assign it to the DM or another member of Council.
There are 5 levels of taxation: Fed, Prov, County, Town and School. In addition thee are numerous “user fees” for services that were previously covered by taxes
Clarify Finance is her responsibility But when you see the New Affordable Bolder apartment building she lobbied hard for and is subsidized by the Tax payers reduced taxes development fees CMHC Mortgage at 1.5% for years to come & with Rents at $2100.- To $2300 + + what can we assume / expect to come out of our Finance Dept.
Sandpiper,
Only 14 of the Balder units are “affordable” (CMHC definition, not geared to income) and only for 10 years
Some units were priced at $2600
I appreciate seeing all of the moving parts that make Cobourg function. I understand that this is a budget report and as such doesn’t provide fine details, for example:
a break down of roles for staff ( what do all of these people do and what are their individual salaries)
a better understanding of new purchases ( was the old “thing” broken or are we purchasing things because a new version is available)
are there ways to spend less in each department ( are there cost savings, do we really need new office furniture etc)
I like the suggestions about applying for grants to find other monies for projects, but I would still like to see how we can reduce spending and costs in Cobourg
I question Dir Brian Geerts recommendations (no trees, lifeguards or pool)? It seems that when there is a recommendation for cost cutting it’s at the expense of public services who pay taxes and pays for these services
I’ve lived in Cobourg for over ten years. There was a discussion about a new facility that would have a pool. There is no talk about a new pool, now Dir wants to close the outdoor facility? When I swim at Centennial pool, why do I pay through a YMCA membership if the town owns the pool?
Driving to Port Hope, for those of us that swim, is a waste of time and fuel. As Cobourg grows, I’m interested in hearing about Cobourg’s plans for new facilities (pool). It will take years to find funding and build a facility.
New office furniture, yes! New trees, no! Our newly appointed director must not like his new digs.
Imagine a town that doesn’t plant trees. Absolute ridiculous suggestion.
Headline – A town under a ‘Climate Emergency’ considers not planting trees –
Can’t make this stuff up can you? Not planting trees. Really? Of all the frivolous things that are budgeting for. The cost benefit analysis of trees has been proven time and time again. Have to question any member of staff that would put that on the chopping block. The town tree budget isn’t even that large to begin with.
Cldn’t agree more – and esp when one considers all the trees that Cobourg lost during the Christmas storm
I counted 42 trees down in the two days following the storm. Mostly coniferous. I didn’t survey the entire Town.
At least 2 on our little street: a cedar and a big pine.
I would like to know what type of house could be bought for $278500 in Cobourg as this is the average assessed value for 2023? This makes the proposed property tax amount sound ridiculously small. I was pleased to see the first category for each department as cost avoidance and savings. The many delays of new hires for the various departments only means at some date there will still be taxes required to pay those salaries.
HR says there’s a reduction in legal fees, how much? Employee recognition increases by $4500 to $12000. Huh how about a pat on the back and thank your lucky stars you have a job?! Consultant fees doubling to $10000, for what?! $198000 for new computers: wow! $6000 for staff e-bikes, how about sharing with CPS? $65000 for a new traffic light per year, I believe Cobourg has a near record for the number of lights per resident, get rid of some. The street light debacle has been going for years, another $210000! $440000 for a street sweeper, why are sewer grates clogged everywhere? Salt brine for $20000, this is NOT environmentally friendly. Boardwalk for $1060000, what’s wrong with it? The CCC at 10 years old costs us nothing but money: cooling tower repair $111000, boiler $80000, chairs $10000, compressor $55000. $100000 for a parks master plan; WHAT! How much money has been spent for park’s planning and consultants over the years and to what benefit for the taxpayer? Replace dredger engine for $150000, the plan was to rent the dredger out. How did that plan go, where is all that earned money? The campground needs $850000 for buildings, $84500 for a truck and $50000 for a tractor. Staff lead us to be believe the campground makes money every year so put that money towards these requirements.
CT,
Points well taken.
The MPAC valuation pretend to be market value, but it is not. The current valuation was done in 2016 and is now 7 years old.
The dredge is used for outside jobs, however, I’m not aware that a proper profit & loss report for the dredge has been made public. Keep in mind that with the harbour’s silting problem a dredge company would have to be hired if the Town didn’t have the dredge. There is no indication if a dredge reserve exists and what the available balance is. the dredge is about 15 years old, so it’s reasonable to expect more major repair costs over the next few years.
The campground (VPC) has been a steady profit maker for quite a while. The problem is that the Town put little of the surplus into the VPC reserve. Instead, the VPC surplus was use for other Town projects and to reduce the tax levy. Now, the VPC needs significant infrastructure upgrades and the Town (taxpayers) must come up with the money.
In practice, the costs (850K-$1M) will be funded by the VPC reserve (about $200K) and debt ($650K-$850K) The annual debt service cost (about $81K) will be paid from the VPC earnings for the 15 year debenture term. The debt service cost will be about half of the VPC’s annual net profit
Bryan, I agree that the trailer park has reported a profit for the last few years. However, it seems deceitful or at least misleading to claim a profit without accounting for all expenses. They appear to ignore numerous costs including future maintenance of facilities, sewage disposal although they claim income from pumpouts and staff management. It is unclear if they actually make a profit when all expenses are considered.
Ken,
There is a utility cost shown but it is likely only electrical and not water & sewer. This is consistent with other Town facilities
The cost is covered in the overhead of the water and sewer plants.
Some of the marina’s management costs are allocated to the VPC
The largest “missing” cost is the provision for future facilities maintenance, the transfer to a reserve fund. A $50K transfer is budgeted for 2022. In prior years, the budgeted transfer was $25K and not always made
The assessments are intended to be an estimate of market value at the legislated valuation date of Jan 1 2016. That date is set by the province, not MPAC.
The provincial government has repeatedly delayed the reassessment. This is not an MPAC decision. MPAC would like to, and are prepared to, set a new assessment roll, but can only do so on direction from the province.
John, thanks for your as usual excellent summary of the proceedings!
I attended some of the presentations and found a few additional points of interest:
“Yes, the operating budget for Public Works only increased by 0.1%. However, not mentioned was that the new storm water “fees” of about $1.6M amount to almost 6% of the total 2022 levy. The total levy + stormwater charges amount to an increase of over 11% from what taxpayers paid in 2022 to their payments planned for 2023.”
Please clarify, as I understand it:
Asking for a friend
Ben, whether part of the levy or billed separately the total taxpayer payments for stormwater have increased greatly.
The cost of stormwater management in the 2022 budget was $508,100 (about 2% of the levy). The approved 2023 stormwater charge is $1,620,726 (about 6% of the 2022 levy). So we’ll be paying about $1.1M more for stormwater in 2023 than in 2022.
The total of the proposed 2023 levy plus the approved stormwater charge is about 11% more than we paid in 2022.
Ben,
A slight quibble Bryan:
Yes, the increase in stormwater fees is $1.1M or 4% of the 2022 levy. However, the approved plan is to collect $1.6M outside of the levy. The $0.5M collected in the 2022 levy will still be collected but under a different name in 2023. This means that the total tax increase is 6% of the 2022 levy. This is in addition to the 5% levy increase due to other spending increases for a total tax increase of about 11%.
On the stormwater levy fee issue, I most certainly hope that it appears as a separate line item on our utility bills and isn’t just “buried” in the monthly water and sewer charges! That way, homeowners will be able to see just how much the Town is unfairly penalizing them — BUT I’m not holding my breath – better to cloud the issue than highlight it – something this town has always been good at.
“The AGN had less than 2500 visits (not visitors) in 2022. With taxpayer support at about $232,000 that means that each visit cost us about $93.”
The AGN has a Twitter account. It has 765 followers. Although quite busy in the first quarter of 2022, It has been inexplicably dormant since May 4. 2022.
For 2022 the AGN reported millions (2,732,993!!!) of “hits” on their website representing 66,613 unique visitors. Why do only a tiny fraction of these virtual visitors actually visit the gallery? I suppose that few find what they see on the website to be sufficiently interesting to warrant an actual visit to the AGN.
Ken,
What benefit/value is there for the residents of Cobourg in the AGN being able to attract 2.7M website hits?. That’s an amazing average of 41 hits per virtual visitor (66.6K).
How many are from Cobourg and Northumberland?
How many actually end up visiting?
Why has the ART Gallery of NORTHUMBERLAND not been able to get sponsorship/funding from the County and the other Northumberland municipalities?
Based on the presentation the 66,000 virtual visits resulted in 2,500 physical visits so somewhat less than 1 in 25. She didn’t supply any information regarding the location of the virtual visitors nor any plan to monetize their visits.
Perhaps they don’t feel a need to solicit funding from the county or other towns when they can get $150,000 each year from Cobourg’s taxpayers without effort or justification.
41 views per virtual visitor may well consist of all the friends, acquaintances and sponsors of any particular artist showing at the gallery. Multiple shows in a year, and some shows are multi-artist, which means links to more friends, acquaintances and sponsors. The artist is also likely to include the AGN links in their CVs to solicit arts grants. No need to visit.
Insofar as Northumberland and Cobourg are concerned, there was a dismal failure to feature the Trash to Treasure project on any web page. The second year of the Trash to Treasure, also involving youth, figured very dismally on the AGN page. No hits for the young and local.
Wally, I think that you are confused regarding the meaning of “hits”. Every time a web browser such as Chrome or Safari requests a file — a photo or icon — from a website it is usually counted as a “hit”. Merely viewing the homepage of the AGN site will be recorded as dozens of “hits” due to the number of photos.
I know very well what a hit is, because I posted the following, “No hits for the young and local.” Your comment supplements mine.
When an artist sends the web page link to friends, acquaintances, peers, etc. then when they click on the link, poof, a bunch of hits. Multiply the friends, family, peers, of all the artists etc in a year, poof, millions of hits as a result of the links I mentioned. I understand that there is a difference between links and hits.
“Why has the ART Gallery of NORTHUMBERLAND not been able to get sponsorship/funding from the County and the other Northumberland municipalities?”
It’s an ‘outreach’ program. Colborne and Port Hope have their own successful art programs, so why should their taxpayers be expected to pay for a Cobourg-based art program?
No amount of bean-counting and belly-aching will change the expense of the AGN to the community. Lotsa moaning but no solutions. Any program suggestions to increase local public interest? Nope. Got any ideas for improvement? Of course not. At least I haven’t seen any. So keep on counting and keep on paying.
The mural placed on the side of the blonde brick building on the s/e corner of King/Division has been viewed by tens of thousands of eyeballs. Finally some interesting art in the public domain. Still, it doesn’t have the dynamic community engagement that Port Hope has via Critical Mass.
Critical Mass also manages to get a bigger bang for every buck invested in their work. Bigger in the sense that they have a very small budget compared to AGN, yet they engage the community in meaningful art experiences, whereas the AGM is sequestered in a room on the third floor requiring people to come to them to experience art.
Back in the early 70s when John Taylor was the curator, the gallery was in the building next to where Transition House is today. There was an exhibition put on by Stephen Cruise. (Stephen Cruise). He had just graduated from the Art Gallery of Ontario. Mr Taylor thought that once a year the AGN could host a new and challenging graduate to exhibit. Critical Mass has a good connection with the OCAD which explains why they present fresh newly conceptualized art experiences from young ambitious artists. Cobourg coulda dun that. We’re just a bean counting Town.