By Pepper Parr
July 11, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
An early look at what the 2020 municipal budget is going to look like had a couple of gulps and let the public see what the city council sense of humour looks like.
Director of Finance Joan Ford told Council that she was hoping to deliver a budget that will require a tax levy lower than last year.
The early projection for the city is 4.27 over last year with the actual impact on the tax bill amounting to 2.67 which City treasurer Joan Ford said that her staff were working on getting that down to 2.45 – which would get the number under the 2.92 for 2019
Mayor Meed Ward wanted to see several lines added to the tax bill and had a line saying “Ford Levy” showing which increases were the results of changes by the Ford government that are going to whack us in the wallet.
Couple of problems there – Ford said that she was running out of space on the tax bill and then told us that the province determines what the tax bill must look like.
These are early days in the budget process – we can see what is coming.
Meed Ward proudly tells anyone who asks that the council in place from 2010 to 2018 was never able to lower taxes.
This council expect to bring in a lower tax levy – despite what the provincial government has done to make life at the municipal level as tough as it can get.
