By Pepper Parr
November 29th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
So it is done.
The budget for 2024 is cast in stone.
Tax bills will get sent out and people can then compare what their tax bill was in 2023 and compare with what they are asked to pay during 2024
This was a contentious budget – there were several dozen letters to Council and five very strong personal delegations that took Council to task.
Lydia Thomas
Dave Chapman
Dave and Vera Chapman spoke to Council in a way they have not been talked to in some time.
Lydia Thomas was very direct and showed Council time and again where they just plain got it wrong.
Eric Stern put data before Council to point out where the mistakes were made.
None of it made much in the way of a difference other than to show that there are people in the city who are prepared to speak out.
The Mayor continues to maintain that she had to use the Strong Powers – she did not have to – she chose to – which is fine but don’t try to convince the public that Doug Ford made you do it.
In the closing minutes of the Special Council meeting two members of Council took the Mayor to task when she set out to include the early drafts of the 2025 and 2026 budgets.
Council was being asked to:
Endorse a Mayoral Direction to the Chief Financial Officer for the 2025 and 2026 budget years as follows:
Direct the Chief Financial Officer to prepare the draft operating and capital budgets for 2025 and 2026 whereby the city’s portion of the overall property tax increase is not to exceed 3.99% of which approximately:
-
- 2.99% is for city services; and
- 1% is for city infrastructure renewal funding;
- and that the draft budgets be provided to the Mayor in preparation of the Mayor’s Proposed Budget in each year
Councillors Nisan and Kearns wanted the mention of the 2025 and 2026 budget plans be discussed and not rubber stamped at a Special Council Meeting where the public had little warning that this was coming.
Councillors Nisan and Kearns didn’t want to go along with this and suggested that the matter be sent to a Standing Committee meeting where the public would be able to comment.
Councillor Nisan said: “I just want to suggest this go to committee next to next week and give the public more opportunity. We have to respond to but I think this will be better off that committee.
Councillor Kearns said: “Yeah, thanks. I feel like I just said I would try to do better and this doesn’t feel like me trying to do better so I’d like this to come to committee.
Mayor: “Alright, so in light of the feedback from committee and council, I withdraw the item and we will bring it through committee, having said that, the agendas for committee already are out.”
For those who want to ensure that the 2025 and 2026 elections are not a repeat of what took place this year – your chance to delegate is just a couple of weeks away.
So, here’s what I paid in solely municipal taxes over 4 years…..(line1 on the tax bill)
2020 – $1,503
2021 – $1,566
2022 – $1,640
2023 – $1,896
That’s an increase of $393 over 4 years or18% (avg 4,5%) and and the TOTAL taxes are up $454 or 11.7 %.. Over all that’s an average of 2.9% per year for total taxes……Just say’n….or is my math incorrect?
2025 & 2026 might be a different story however.
I just had a look at how the region presents thier budget increase. “It includes a 3.4 per cent property tax increase for Regional programs and services (excluding Halton Regional Police Services) and a 4.3 per cent rate increase for water and wastewater services.”
No confusion, no graphic, the regions revenue from property taxes will increase by 3.4%,
https://www.halton.ca/The-Region/Finance-and-Transparency/Budget-Business-Plan#:~:text=The%20proposed%202024%20Budget%3A&text=It%20includes%20a%203.4%20per,for%20water%20and%20wastewater%20services.
No
Our Mayor and City Councillors need to give themselves a good shake. 15%+ tax increase in 2 years? Isn’t it your job to keep our taxes low and reasonable? MMW says she understands what residents are going through with high interest rates, inflation, etc, but refuses to make the tough decisions to protect taxpayers. Sorry, residents want to see efficiencies (aka CUTS) to wages, services, capital projects, jobs, etc. What efficiencies did you find in 2023 and 2024 before you asked for 15%+ in 2 years? You blew the bankroll thinking interest rates would remain low forever just like the big guy in Ottawa claimed, then you went on a spending spree. City Hall Reno’s inside and out, Skyway Arena, and the bottomless pit known as the Bateman/Brock boondoggle to name but a few. Memories of the Burlington Pier fiasco come to mind. Well, now the bill has come in and taxpayers are footing the bill for poorly timed decisions. My neighbours and I shudder to think what your ask will be in 2025. A word of advice, Council – make cuts or you will be cut.
The spin machine in overdrive and it’s like the mayor is high on her own power! This is NOT right!
Thank you to Eric and Dan and Vera and Lydia and all delegates who helped us understand exactly what this mayor and council have done. Perhaps the mayor didn’t like all this negative reaction – despite her being in total denial that it even existed until it was over – 3000 signatures just vaporized in their minds? All the delegations both in writing and in person don’t matter? And so she’s trying to get it all over with for the next two years now too? And again Eric and others point out these numbers are way misleading and wrong too.
Just brutal. The “we can’t afford Meed Ward” phrase somebody coined might just stick.
Oh but tomorrow the mayor will meet with us peasants from nine to 11, one-on-one, on a workday morning. You know, now that it’s too late and so she can keep spinning. And of course we can’t all hear the other questions and spin answers, oh no, one-on-one only. What cowardice. She proved they didn’t and don’t listen – what’s the point? For us, I mean. For her it’s a social media post.
Here is a simply way to look at what “city’s portion of the overall property tax increase” actually means to line 1 of your tax bill.
If you paid $4,000 in 2023 you’ll pay $4,408.40 in 2024 and $4,760.63 in 2025. The increases compound so that’s a 20% increase in just two years. Nothing to see here folks.
I expect the 2025 budget to request 64 new full time employees instead of the 91 requested for 2024. Quoting myself “Step 7 – repeat.”
“city’s portion of the overall property tax increase is not to exceed 3.99%”
So 1/2 of the bill will go up 8%, the “overall” bill will go up 4% plus whatever increases the region and school boards require. After a 15.5% tax revenue increase in 2023, a 10.21% tax revenue increase in 2024 how do you justify another 8% in 2025?
I believe it was Eric Stern who delegated. Not Rick Stern.
Editor: My apologies; my error