October 3rd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
We learned this morning that the reports on how the July Flooding were going to impact the 2025 budget, expected in October, will not get to Council until the November cycle of Committee of the Whole meetings.
In November the Flood Hazard Impacts and Mitigation Assessment and the July 15th storm event and response update will be presented.
This is going to take place at around the same time the Mayor will release a proposed Budget to City Council.
It is very hard to fully understand how the Mayor is going to table a budget report that doesn’t have all the data that is relevant. There will not have been any opportunity for the public to delegate – perhaps that’s the intent?
For the past three weeks the Mayor has been meeting with citizens in each ward looking for feedback on the budget knowing that critical data is not available.
We know that the on November 4, Mayor Meed Ward will release her proposed Budget to Burlington City Council.
On November 7, 2024 – Telephone Budget Town Hall hosted by Mayor Meed Ward – it will run from 7:00- 8:30 p.m.
Members of Council have until November 11, to propose amendments to Proposed Budget
November 18 & 21, Committee of the Whole will review of Proposed Budget amendments proposed via Motion Memorandum process
November 25, Council will review the Proposed Budget and at that time decide on what the tax increase for 2025 will amount to.
It is a very tight schedule that was put in place by the province when Strong Mayor powers were declared by the province.
The most essential part of the budget creation process is public engagement – with all the data available. This looks like another one of those situations where the city is determined to be able to say that the public was engaged knowing that they did not have all the facts.
I read the proposed budget and purposely looked for info on flood mitigation and saw nothing. I thought this was quite irresponsible to have these pre-budget meetings without this significant information. I fully agree with the comments made by Pepper Parr
My understanding is the reason for the delay in the flood report is due to the fact staff are just totally inundated!
I suspect the flood mitigation cost/expense will not be a part of the regular budget but will be dealt with separately as was the JB Hospital tax levy. If it is, and yes as some have shouted out previously via the Gazette, it should be a time limited and segregated levy, used solely for flood mitigation purposes.