The majority – 87% – of this year’s requests were approved, either as additions to the base budget or draws on reserves. We need to be more disciplined about saying no and focusing on need to haves, especially in light of the current economic climate.
Though the budget includes several need-to-have items – our contribution to the hospital redevelopment, money for infrastructure, the new Alton community centre and library, and enhanced transit service – it also includes almost $2 million in “nice-to-haves”.
We must do better than a 6.5% increase, and that will require some tough choices.
Burlington City : Ward 2 News Burlington | Marianne Meed Ward: [...] For a line by line discussion of proposed items in the budget, please see my earlier article on the…
I support a revised strategic focus and funding for BEDC
Priorities in 2013 - Ward 2 News Burlington | Marianne Meed Ward : Ward 2 News Burlington | Marianne Meed Ward: [...] taxpayers, residential tax rates will continue to increase. As I wrote about last month (here), the Burlington Economic Development Corporation…
Burlington City : Ward 2 News Burlington | Marianne Meed Ward: [...] focus on expanding our Industrial-Commercial-Institutional tax base (as I wrote about recently here. Burlington’s growth has come primarily from…
In March, city council approved a budget that increases our funding for infrastructure and our hospital, resulting in a city tax increase of 3.29%.
My Take: During the election campaign, many of you told me you wanted the city to rein in spending, focus on priorities, and more closely align spending to economic realities. City taxes have increased by a whopping 75% since 2000 – about 5.6% per year, while our population has only grown by 18%, and inflation by 23%. This budget signals a new focus on fiscal restraint while maintaining or enhancing core priorities for our hospital and seniors.
Gary Scobie: Thanks for supplying info on tax increases versus population and CPI increases. What an eye-opener!
Clarkd: I agree. Perhaps existing money could be used even more efficiently with close supervision of pier construction and sidewalk/road work,…
I have learned from a downtown church leader that the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation is targetting some places of worship to assess their community gathering spaces (eg. parish hall) for the purpose of assessing property tax. This has already been done in churches throughout Ontario to disastrous effect.
Many churches offer their community space to local groups; if places of worship will now have to pay property tax on those spaces, the cost will be prohibitive to the church and the community group, and these important activities in our community places of worship will end.
Jrwkraft: I think churches should pay property taxes just like everyone else. This could help to control property taxes for all.
Anonymous: You are obviously not a church goer/member.! If you were, you would not make such a statement. You do not…
Dhon MacKinnon: As a member of the Port Nelson United Church group that assists in the Community Dinners at Wellington Square U.C.,…
Ron: I certainly don't favour taxing churches for letting out their premises for free. But what about those who make a…
JDT: Religious groups as a whole engage only a minority of citizens (church attendance is very low) and each specific group…
Alysha Diane: Exactly my concerns. The community at large should not be required to subsidize churches that exclude members of the community.
Anonymous: I belong to another church, and "part" of our contribution to the community are free weekly suppers to about 130…
The Ticats are exploring Paletta-owned lands in Aldershot between King and Waterdown roads for a $130 million, 22,000 seat stadium that would also be used for Pan Am games. Just after Christmas, Ticat officials approached Burlington to partner.
There may be public and private funding of about $100 million, leaving a potential “funding gap” of up to $30m for capital costs.
City Hall is increasing taxes at 3 times the rate of inflation to pay for nice-to-have capital projects like the pier. City Hall needs to limit spending: and ideas on how we could rein it in.
Philip Harris: I have been retired for 15 years and over that time my income has slowly but steadily declined. This means…