By Pepper Parr
July 24th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Work to determine the City’s 2020 budget is underway: some of that early work is yours.
The city wants to know which services are important to you – the city council will read the results of the survey and decide which route they take is likely to satisfy most of the voters.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward is determined to come up with a tax rate that is lower than the 2019 rate.
Through the budget process, choices are made to ensure the City services provided to residents align with the priorities in Burlington’s 2018-2022 strategic work plan, From Vision to Focus, which is not the same as aligning to the wishes of the residents.
In planning the 2020 budget, the City also wants to hear from residents to learn more about how municipal services are valued and which ones are a priority for residents. To share input on which services matter, residents can complete an online survey at www.getinvolvedburlington.ca.
All the feedback captured through the survey will be shared with Burlington City Council. The survey will remain open until Sept. 20, 2019.
Joan Ford, Director of Finance explains that: “Each year, the City of Burlington undergoes an annual budget process to create a budget that supports city operations and delivers the programs and services required to maintain the high quality of life we enjoy in our community. We look forward to hearing from residents about the services that are important to them as we begin planning the 2020 budget.”
Proposed meeting dates for the 2020 budget include:
Nov. 4, 2019 Meeting of Committee of the Whole: Budget overview report
Nov. 19, 2019 2020 Budget Telephone Town Hall
Dec. 10 and 12, 2019 Meeting of Committee of the Whole: Budget review and approval
Dec. 16, 2019 Meeting of Burlington City Council: City Council to consider approval of proposed 2020 budget.
In the past the city has held public meetings with various levels of success. In election years the turnout has been exceptional, non-election years it has been less so.
How about not having a 4% increase to city staff salaries in 2020? Who the heck else gets this? I understand they received 4% increase in 2019 (Please fact check this). During the recent review of retention issues at council (as presented by the city staff), the recommendation was to increase city salaries by 15%, to the 65th percentile of the market. I believe Paul Sharman actually said, and I paraphrase ‘how can we deny our city staff an increase to the 65th percentile of the market for city workers to the benefit of citizen services?’ Ok, 65th percentile of the ‘market’ for these services is nuts. Private industry standard is 50th. Paying city staff an extra 15% (on top of gold-plated gov’t benefits (100% covered) and a guaranteed defined benefit pension plan) to the detriment of citizen services is crazy-go-nuts. Can we find any money there?
Really! A tax rate lower than that of 2019, with Municipalities having to take on the downloading of some services by the Provincial Government? What reserve funds will be used this time around?
I would rather have smaller increments of increased taxes than 2 years of lower taxes that have to be made up when taxes have to be aligned with spending.