The final cost to the city of cancelling the Scarborough LRT — possibly between $75 million and $85 million — is being kept secret, though the repayment is already included in the city’s capital budget plan.

Outgoing city manager Joe Pennachetti said Thursday for the first time that the cost to be paid by the city has already been decided and is priced out in the 10-year capital plan unveiled this week.

Those “sunk” costs — money spent on a project that can’t be recovered — have always been pegged by Metrolinx at about $85 million, but could now be closer to $75 million. They will be fully shouldered by the city after council, under the Rob Ford administration, voted to scrap the seven-stop light rail line, fully funded by the province, that was already in the works and instead build a $3-billion, three-stop Scarborough subway extension.

“Are we responsible for those sunk costs? Yes,” Pennachetti told the Star. “What we’ve been working on over the last number of months is: What exactly is the number?

“We’ve come to an agreement.”

But you won’t find that figure spelled out in the hundreds of pages of budget briefing notes. Pennachetti refused to say just how much the city has set aside, or when or how it will be paid.

“Yes, it’s in the capital plan. No, you’d not be able to see it,” he said.

The city manager said the seven-member budget committee will be briefed on the cost in February.

On Thursday, Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig said talks with the city were “very close” to a conclusion, but also declined to put a number on the amount owed by the city.

“The province and Metrolinx has been clear that the sunk costs related to the former Scarborough LRT project were the responsibility of the city,” he said Thursday.

Most of the money the city owes is attributed to planning and design for the LRT. A small portion was for the design of a maintenance and storage facility that was scrapped once council voted 24-20 in favour of a subway in 2013.

There was also speculation that manufacturer Bombardier would levy a penalty for changing the number of light rail vehicles Metrolinx had originally ordered.

As of late 2013, when LRT plans were scrapped, Bombardier had already been paid $65 million of the $770 million contract for 182 light-rail vehicles (LRVs) to run on the Eglinton Crosstown, Finch, Sheppard and Scarborough lines.

Of that contract, 48 LRVs were slated for the Scarborough project.

But the Montreal-based company — which also has the $1.25 billion contract to supply Toronto’s new streetcars — has downplayed suggestions of a penalty. To mitigate cancellation costs, Metrolinx has said it could continue with the contract for all 182 LRVs and potentially use the extra vehicles for projects in other municipalities, such as Mississauga’s Hurontario LRT.

News that the city is finalizing that payment comes after the province announced this week it would not provide the $86 million the city says it needs to balance its $9.973-billion budget.

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The city had asked for the extra cash after the province cancelled funding to offset Toronto’s above-average needs in the area of social housing. But Finance Minister Charles Sousa has said the Toronto is being offered a line of credit instead, with interest payable. Those plans have not yet been finalized.

Meanwhile, Metrolinx has been working with the city to remove the Scarborough LRT from the master agreement that governs the provincial funding of the other LRTs on Finch, Sheppard and Eglinton.

In 2013, the province committed to funding a Scarborough extension with $1.48 billion, regardless of whether it was an LRT or subway. At the time, the federal government also committed $660 million in addition to its $1.48-billion share to build a subway.

As for the planned Finch/Sheppard LRTs — which Mayor John Tory has said are not a priority but remain part of the master agreement with Metrolinx — McCuaig said there are no changes to those plans and funding remains in place.

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